


Prison Is No Place For A Child

by stonyisadorablefightme



Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Asexual Peter Parker, Bisexual Peter Parker, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Canon Divergence - Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Domestic Avengers, Gay Tony Stark, Hurt Peter Parker, Hydra (Marvel), M/M, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Superfamily (Marvel), Tags May Change, The Raft Prison (Marvel), Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tortured Peter Parker, canon until infinity war
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:15:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 21,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21549763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonyisadorablefightme/pseuds/stonyisadorablefightme
Summary: Peter Parkers day was completely normal. Until it wasn't.ORAfter the accords, Ross still isn't satisfied. He want heroes completely under his control. No matter what the cost.He also wants back at Tony, who continues to be a pain in his side. He figured he can hit two birds with one stone when he discovers who is hiding behind the red mask.⚠️ON TEMPORARY HIATUS ⚠️
Relationships: Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Shuri, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Wanda Maximoff, Peter Parker/Harley Keener (eventually), Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 72
Kudos: 409





	1. Just a normal day.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic so go easy on me please! Hopefully I haven't missed any mistakes but if there are any let me know in the comments <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Trigger warning: description of injuries ⚠️

Peter Parker's day had been totally normal. Maybe even a little better than usual. Flash had been ill, so he and Ned had been able to walk the halls without fear of being slammed into a locker at every turn. He had aced his Spanish test. Harley Keener had looked his way and smiled, making Peter feel all warm inside. Nothing major had happened during patrol and someone had bought him a burrito for his efforts. Everything was normal. Until it wasn't.

He got back to his apartment to the familiar smell of Aunt May burning dinner. He'd perfected pretending to enjoy her cooking. He got changed quickly and climbed on the ceiling to the front door. He opened and shut the door.  
"Hey, May! I'm home!" He called, towards the kitchen.  
"Hi, sweetie. I'm in the kitchen." She responded.  
He walked towards her voice. They had "enjoyed" their dinner and settled down in front of the TV to watch a movie before they were interrupted by an aggressive knocking at the door. 

"OPEN UP!" Someone yelled through the door. Peter began to panic. Who could it be?  
"Stay here..." May whispered. She got up and walked towards the door, "I'm coming! Who is it?" She yelled at the person on the other side of the door.  
"FBI! OPEN UP!"  
May opened up the door and she was promptly shoved aside, her head hitting the wall with a sickening crunch. Peter leaped up off the couch to come to her aid.  
" What the fu-" He didn't manage to finish his exclamation before 8 people had their guns pointed at him. He yelped in fear and had to refrain from leaping to the ceiling on instinct.  
"PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!" One of the Kevlar-Clad men, shouted at him. Peter did as he was told, not wanting to make the situation worse. He could see blood staining the carpet around May's head.  
"C-Can you c-call an amb-ambulance for h-her?" He stammered out. They responded by getting behind him and pushing him down on the floor, cuffing his wrists behind his back. He groaned loudly.  
"You are being arrested for vigilantism and failure to sign the accords." Someone said calmly, driving their knee into the small of his back. 

He felt a sharp pain in his neck and suddenly everything went dark.


	2. That anticipated voicemail.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Incoming call from Thaddeus Ross"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for enjoying the first chapter enough to read this!  
> Not as happy with this chapter but I am looking forward to the next one!

"Incoming call from Thaddeus Ross." 

FRIDAY's voice filled the lab for the fifteenth time that evening, sounding almost human in her annoyed tone of voice.  
"Decline it, Fri." Tony responded, shortly. He knew he was annoying Ross, but he didn't have the energy to listen to his rant about the importance of control and making sure the remaining rogue avengers were locked up.

He would mute Friday, but he was waiting for Happy to forward Peter's post patrol voice mail. After the whole accords business and most of the avengers going rogue, he felt pretty lonely and with Rhodes away on military business, they were one of the few things that never failed to bring him joy. Tony had received a notification saying the young superhero had arrived home and so he was expecting it soon. When nothing came through after multiple hours, he started to get a bit worried.  
"Fri, call Happy Hogan."  
"Yes, boss." A dialling tone played through the lab speakers.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey, Happy. Has Peter checked in with you yet?"  
"No."  
"And why might that be?" Tony asked, annoyed at Happy's carelessness.  
"Why would I know?"  
"You are no help, Happy." Tony hung up. "Friday, pull up Parker's stark watch location, please."  
"The watch is in the Parker's apartment" She responded, helpfully.  
"He okay?" He queried.  
"I cannot tell as Mr Parker is not currently wearing his watch, but before taking it off, his heart rate spiked and it appears the watch was forcefully removed."  
"What!?" Tony said, panic rising in his chest. "Call him!"  
"Incoming video call from Thaddeus Ross." FRIDAY reported. Tony slammed his foot into his work bench in his fury.  
"Fuck it, answer."  
Ross' face was projected on his lab screen.  
"You finally decided to answer."  
"Business to run. What do you want?" Tony asked, heatedly.  
"Just to make you aware of one of the Raft's new inmates. I think you know him." Ross drawled. Tony felt his heart stutter. Ross continued, "New York's friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, Peter Parker."  
"What the fuck!? He is 14 years old! You can't put him in prison, you sicko!" He felt his blood boil and the urge to punch the screen. Tony was overwhelmed with rage and worry for the spider-kid. 

Ross would pay for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3 point out any mistakes to me so I can fix them please!


	3. Not his idea of a vacation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter meets the rogue avengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapters significantly longer, I hope you enjoy it! x

"Wands, I think the kids awake."

Peter's eyes opened for the third time since what he thought was last night. There was no way to tell. 

The first time he'd awoken, he'd been instantly blinded by harsh lights and surrounded by unfamiliar faces. He had quickly fallen back asleep when someone put what appeared to be an oxygen mask over his face. The second time he gained consciousness, he was in what he recognised to be a CT scanner. His eyes had shut almost as quickly as they'd opened. 

He looked around to yet another new environment. He was in a roughly 4 by 4 meter room. The walls were glass with metal bars across. Their was a steel bed sticking out of the wall, with space underneath it. A thin blanket was folded on top of it. The room was one of 8 in a circle, all grey and white with blue accents. An elevator was across from the room Peter was occupying. In most of them, there was a person. 

Peter groaned as he made sense of his surroundings, the previous nights events coming back to him.  
"Shit." He muttered, as he realised he was in a cell. He could hear whispering and felt multiple pairs of eyes on him. 

"You okay, kid?" Peter looked up to see the face of Clint Barton, peering through the glass from the cell next to him. The young mutant scrambled away from the window, not comprehending that the archer was probably only trying to help. He looked kind and fatherly even when he was visibly shivering from the cold. 

"Hey, calm down, we're not gonna hurt you." Came a female voice from behind him. He turned to see Wanda Maximoff smiling softly at him. Her long, red hair was tangled and her neck had a thick, metal collar around it. She along with Peter and Clint were wearing white and blue jumpsuits but, unlike the rest, she was wearing a straightjacket. Peter cringed at the discomfort it must be causing her.

"What's your name?" She asked, using a tone of voice intended to keep him calm. The enhanced teen was about to answer when the elevator dinged and out stepped Thaddeus Ross. 

The former Lieutenant General of the United States Army, now Secretary of State, looked unhinged as he strode into the room. There was a hungry look in his eyes. He had greying hair and wore a porpoise coloured suit.

"Ah, he's woken up. Good." Ross gave a shark-like smile. Barton audibly growled whilst Wanda's eyes flickered red before her collar made a hissing sound and her eyes went back to normal. 

Behind Ross, two muscled guards came in dragging two sleeping men, and from their clothing, Peter could make out they were also inmates.

Ross stalked towards Peter, who tried to put on a mask of courage, and said in a voice one would use when speaking to a small child, "Welcome to your new home." Peter's straight face faltered but he managed to maintain his pretence of indifference. Only the highly-trained spy in the room caught it.  
"Why am I here?" Peter questioned, fiercely. Ross laughed a humourless laugh.  
"Just a little vacation from your unlawful spider-themed hobby." Peter's eyes widened, how had they found out? A look of realisation dawned on Clint's worn features  
"Spider-Man." The S.H.I.E.L.D agent muttered to himself. Thaddeus turned to him and nodded.  
"Anyway, it doesn't matter, nothing you can do about it," the sinister man said, "I'll be back." He slipped back into the elevator and disappeared. 

The two men, who had been put in the cells on both sides of the elevator across from Peter, stirred. Wanda called out to them, "Are you guys okay?" They sat up and Peter recognised one of them as Sam Wilson. The other had short brown hair, greying at the ends slightly. He had kind yet tired chocolate eyes. They locked on to Peter's.  
"Who's the kid?" He asked, concern dripping into his voice.  
"Spider-Man, apparently." Wanda answered, watching the young hero intently.  
"Peter." The spider-teen said, looking around at them. Sam Wilson smiled at him.  
"Hey, Peter. I'm Sam. Sorry about what happened at the airport." Wilson said, sincerely.  
"Sorry for webbing you to the floor." Peter responded, a small smile caressing his features. Clint laughed heartily.  
"You took him down, spider-kid?"  
"Shut up, Barton." Sam said, shortly.  
"I'm Scott, the guy who was really small and then really big." Ant-Man introduced himself.  
"Sorry for webbing you, too." Parker said, shyly. His thoughts were wondering. He was worried about Aunt May. 

The youthful mutant turned to Clint.  
"Do you think Mr Stark will come and help me get out of here?" He asked, hope glimmering in his big round coffee-coloured eyes. Clint looked around at his fellow avengers before reconnecting with Peter's pleading gaze.  
"I don't know, kid. I hope so. Hey, how old actually are you?"  
"14, but I'm almost 15. 10 days 'til." Peter answered, truthfully.  
Wanda's face was a canvas of rage, "What the fuck does Ross think he's doing putting a 14 year old child in here?!" Scott looked emotionally distressed, he saw his Cassie in the innocent characteristics of the super teen. Clint thought of Lila, Cooper and baby Nate back home on the farm, and his heart ached for the imprisoned child in front of him. Sam felt sick to the stomach as he thought about what must be going through Peter's head.  
"You're parents must be worried sick." Scott commented.  
Peter grimaced, "They're dead," There was a collective intake of breath, "My uncle too. It's just me and my Aunt May." The Spider-Teen thought about the state May had been in before he'd been taken to this damned place. "I hope she's okay." None of the team knew what to say. 

Peter drew in on himself, a tear trickled down his pale cheek. 

\---------------------------------------------

Tony Stark pulled the flip phone from out under his pillow and called the number. 

"Tony? Is something wrong?" 

"I need your help. Please."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Point out mistakes to me please! <3


	4. A hand on his shoulder.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s the plan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry this took so long for me to post! Enjoy <3

Tony Stark sat in the tower's common room, reminiscing on how things used to be. The memories of Steve getting confused at anything remotely technological, Clint and Sam arguing over what film they were going to watch, Natasha and Rhodes' intense conversations about government officials, were all still fresh in his mind yet far away. 

Rhodes was constantly away on military business. Natasha was around but it wasn't the same after her actions at the airport that Tony still hasn't properly forgiven her for. He should, but at the time he had felt so betrayed. He missed Steve the most. Tony was sure something had been blossoming between them and then the accords had come along and everything was ruined. 

And now this, Peter being locked away at the raft, it was too much. Tony should have been paying more attention to the kid, to Ross' movements. The billionaire would get the spider-themed hero out of there if it was the last thing he did. Next on his list was creating a revised version of the accords. They weren't working and, once the Stark showed the UN that Ross was putting teenagers in prison in the name of the accords, he just hoped the world leaders would agree. 

He was so stressed, he'd had a sleepless night that he was overwhelmingly worried throughout. Tony sat at the breakfast bar with his head in his hands, trying to think. 

Steve was coming home.

Half a month since the airport battle, 17 days that had felt like a year. The loneliest 17 days of his life. 15 days since Steve left him, dying, in Siberia. It would be hard, getting back to how the two of them had been. Tony was willing to forgive Steve if the super soldier helped him save Peter. 

"Tony?" Natasha had appeared behind him, moving silently. Tony jumped, but kept his composure.  
"Oh, hey, Nat." Tony said, glancing at her. She looked tired and her shoulder length red hair was matted.  
"You feeling okay?" The Russian spy asked, concern evident in her voice.  
"What do you think!? The kid's in the fucking Raft and it's my fault. I should have been more careful." He choked back a sob and turned away from the red-haired woman. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
"It'll be okay, Tony," Her voice thick with emotion, "Peter is strong. And not just physically." 

Natasha had only met Parker three times but everything from his Bambi eyes to his adorable, youthful smile, meant she had instantly felt the urge to protect him from all of the world's evil. He didn't deserve to be locked away for helping people. The spy would do anything she could to help the spider-kid. 

"So...Steve is coming back?" Natasha asked, carefully. Tony nodded.  
"He'll be here any minute." His voice was full of worry and anxiety, "I figure I need all the help I can get to make sure Peter is safe as soon as possible."  
"You really care about that kid, don't you?" Natasha questioned, not pushing too hard.  
"I hope he knows I'm trying to get him out." Tony's brow creased. Nat nodded , solemnly. 

"Boss, Quinjet 23 is approaching the roof now. Mr Rogers is requesting permission to land." FRIDAY’s voice pulled them from their thoughts.  
"Permission granted." Tony accepted, looking to Natasha for comfort and reassurance.  
"It'll work out, Tones." She gave a pained smile as she pulled her hand away to go greet the arrivals. Tony followed a few steps behind. 

The Quinjet landed lightly on the tarmac. The black panels reflected the sun. The door opened and the stairs slid down.

"Hey Tony. Nat." Steve's voice filled Tony's ears and his heart skipped a beat. There he was. The lone blonde haired man stepped out towards them. His blue eyes met Tony’s.  
“Steve.” Tony said breathlessly. The genius just wanted to hug the soldier and not let go.  
“You said you needed my help. What happened?” Rogers walked towards Tony, tentatively putting a hand on his shoulder when he saw Tony’s face fall significantly.  
“Ross. He took the kid. We have to save him.” Tony mumbled. Steve looked confused, he turned his head towards Natasha.  
“You met Spider-Man?” Steve nodded, “Ross arrested him. He’s just 14. As you can probably tell, Tony here isn’t dealing well.”  
Steve’s gaze turned concerned.  
“I tried to contact his aunt but she hasn’t responded. I don’t know why.” Tony told the super soldier. Steve scrunched his face up, trying to figure out what the Secretary of State was doing.  
“What’s the plan?”  
————————————————————————-  
Ross did come back. He had ordered the guards to take Peter to room 86. 

Wanda didn’t want to imagine what Ross was going to do to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed as always point out my mistakes to me no matter how small <3


	5. Room 86.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Or we can do this the hard way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️WARNING!!  
> This chapter contains torture so if that makes your uncomfortable please skip to the next chapter! ⚠️
> 
> Also I just want to draw attention to the fact I have changed when Peter’s birthday is on the 3rd chapter.
> 
> For everyone still reading, Enjoy!

“Hello, Peter.” Ross came to stand in front of the vigilante. 

Peter had been sitting in the corner of his cell, thinking about Aunt May, when Ross had came back in with 4 armed men. The glass and bars had slid up and the men had stormed in and grabbed the mutant roughly by his shoulders. 

Now here he was, in room 86, glaring at the face of the Secretary of State.  
“We can do this the easy way. You tell me what I need to know. You go back to your cell. No one gets hurt. Or we can do this the hard way.” Ross decided not to elaborate. He didn’t need to. Peter knew exactly what he meant.

They were in a room that looked a lot like the one Peter had first woken up in, but the lights were dimmed and there were speakers in the top corners of the room. Peter was cuffed to a metal chair with a tray attached to one of the armrests. He tried to tug his arms free but the metal didn’t even creak.

“Don’t bother. It’s vibranium.” Ross’ tone was dismissive, “I just want one answer for now, Spider-Man. Where did you get your powers?”  
“Why do you want to know?” Peter’s eyes narrowed.  
“It’s quite simple, Peter. You see, the Avengers aren’t good enough anymore. They’re uncontrollable. Even with the accords. So I’m gonna make a new super group. Completely under the government’s...well, my control.” He paced the room and told his plans enthusiastically.  
“You really think anyone is going to willingly follow any order you give them?” Peter questioned, disbelieving.  
“Did I say willingly?” Peter didn’t like the sound of that. Not at all.  
“Why do you need to know where I got my powers?” Peter kept his posture straight. Showing fear would not help his plight.  
Ross smiled, “I want to recreate them, of course. I can only learn so much from the tests we ran on you when you first arrived.” 

Peter couldn’t imagine inflicting his powers on someone else. Sure, he was strong and...sticky, but these powers came with a price. The sensory overloads, the development of a hero complex and the inability to live a normal life. He didn’t regret going on that trip to Oscorp but he would never wish his abilities on someone else. 

“Well, Peter? Are you going to give me an answer? Or am I going to have to...resort to less friendly methods?” He gestured at the men, who had came in rolling a metal table with multiple random objects lying on top of it. The teens eyes darted from item to item. He trained them back on the authoritative man in front of him. His face hardened.

“Is there a third option? That involves you not getting an answer and me going back to my cell?” Peter snarked. Ross grinned and strode over to the table. He picked up 10 thin, wooden rods, a pair of pliers and a steaming beaker of what looked like oil. The former army general placed them on the tray beside Peter. All the tips of the rods were placed into the boiling oil. The superhero tried to think what Ross could be planning to do to him. Ross took one of the rods out and grabbed Peter’s left thumb, who squirmed under the man’s touch. 

“Last chance, Peter. It doesn’t have to go this way.” Peter just stared angrily back. “Oh well, you can’t say I didn’t give you a chance to be straight with me.” 

He promptly plunged the scorching wood into the flesh under Peter’s thumbnail. 

An animalistic cry escaped the young genius’ lips. He couldn’t stop the screaming as Ross drove the rod further under the nail, burning the sensitive flesh underneath. The lubricating oil allowed Ross to run the pole across a larger amount of Peter’s searing skin. The 14-year-old thrashed in the chair, subdued by the excruciating pain. 

Ross repeated this on every finger of both hands. They were all loose from the nail bed. Peter knew he couldn’t tell Ross the answer to his question but the sensation in his fingers was agonising. The pliers were picked up. Another sob was choked back. Thaddeus Ross used them to rip each fingernail fully off resulting in Peter’s hands becoming a bloody mess. Tears ran down his face and he clenched his jaw. He had to get through this. He had to. 

“Got any answers for me yet, Pete?”  
“Never.”  
“Pity.” Ross’ expression was anything but pitiful. Again he walked towards the metal table and picked up a bucket of water and a thick cloth. He called one of his men over. They came forward and slammed the crown of Peter’s head into the chair. The mutant winced as pain shot through his skull. Fabric came down over his mouth and nose. 

Ross poured water over the spider-themed teen’s face. Peter, who hadn’t been expecting it, inhaled resulting in the fluid entering his lungs. He coughed and spluttered, desperately trying to get oxygen to his systems. When his vision started to tunnel, Ross removed the cloth and Peter gasped for breath only for the fabric to be replaced and more water to be poured over his face. 

Ross repeated this multiple times until the boy fainted from the lack of oxygen. When he reawakened after a few minutes, his head felt fuzzy and he had to take several deep breaths to steady himself.  
“What about now, Spider-Boy? Are you going to tell me what I need to know?”  
“It’s...Spider...Spider-Man.” Peter managed to give a response.  
“Is that a no?” When Peter nodded, fury flashed briefly in the man’s eyes. 

“You have heightened senses, right? We read yours and Mr Stark’s messages. He asked a few times if you had experienced a sensory overload. You should be more careful about what you write on your phone, kid.” Peter expected him to go back over to the table but Ross didn’t. Instead, he left the room. Followed by his men. 

What were they planning? Then he knew. The lights started to brighten, and an increasingly loud hum played from the speakers. A tile on the wall opened to reveal the nozzle of a bottle. A sweet but pungent smell filled the room through it. Peter, already exhausted and struggling to breathe properly, instantly felt overwhelmed as his senses were attacked. 

The noise became deafening. The smell made his head ache. The lights burned his progressively sensitive eyes. The feel of the chair on his skin was more and more unendurable. The clothes on his back felt rough and uncomfortable. It was all too much. He shut his eyes tight and wished he could lift his hands to cover his ears. The teen felt a warm liquid trickle down from his ears and nose. Blood and tears stained his face. 

After what seemed like hours, the room began to quieten, the lights dimmed and the smell dissipated. Ross re-entered.  
“Well, Mr Parker, got any witty remarks left?” Peter’s lips trembled too much for him to form a sentence. Ross rolled his eyes and motioned his men forward. They undid Peter’s restraints and one of them put the inmate over his shoulder, aggressively, unwary of the youths injuries. Peter didn’t even have the strength to fight back. 

The man marched back to the room of cells and carelessly threw Peter back into his. He quickly left the cell, leaving Peter a shaking, bloody and sobbing mess. The other superheroes looked over at him, distress evident in their features.

A single tear rolled down Clint Barton’s cheeks as he watched the tortured teenager that reminded him so much of his own kids. 

————————————————————————  
“I don’t know how we’re going to tell him when he gets out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, point out mistakes please!  
> Thanks for reading <3


	6. Let’s fix this shit.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s the plan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! This is just a filler chapter to check in with Tony and the gang. This ones super short so chapter 7 should be up in the next 24 hours  
> Enjoy <3

Tony, Steve, Vision, Rhodes and Natasha sat in a meeting room at the compound. A layer of dust covered the table. It was the first time it had been used since Ross had came to propose the accords to the Avengers. 

“After what we found last night I just want this done as soon as possible. We need to deal with the accords first.” Tony began, “I don’t want you guys and myself in more trouble than necessary. I’ve been working on it for a while but we need to produce a revised version of them. Steve, you and our friends in the raft will probably be put on house arrest, but after that you’ll be free.” 

The 5 heroes reread every regulation and making changes where they saw fit, coffee and energy drinks flowing through their veins.

_“Any enhanced individuals who use their powers to break the law, including those who take part in extralegal vigilante activities, or are otherwise deemed to be a threat to the safety of the general public, may be detained indefinitely without trial. If an enhanced individual violates the Accords, or obstructs the actions of those enforcing the Accords, they may likewise be arrested and detained indefinitely without trial.”_

_“Change that!”_

_“Those with secret identities must reveal their legal names and true identities to the United Nations.”_

_“That’s not fair.”_

_“Add about underage superheroes being exempt, Tones.”_

_“Already done.”_

They worked like this for weeks on end, barely taking breaks. 

There was one goal. Save their family.

————————————————————————

“Peter, are you okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment mistakes!  
> Thanks for reading <3


	7. A not so happy birthday.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “З Днем Народження, павук!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Non-graphic Description of injury⚠️
> 
> I am soooooo sorry I said 24 hours on the last chapter I was wayyy to confident in my ability to write a whole chapter in 1 day. 
> 
> Translations at the bottom!!  
> Enjoy <3

Peter had been back for 15 minutes now. He hadn’t said a word, just lay curled up in the corner of his cell. The kid had his palms clasped over his ears, brandishing his nailless fingers (they had all winced and Sam even gagged). Blood stained the sides of his face, his nose down to his chin and all over his neck. His breathing was ragged and strained. 

Clint was the first person to talk.  
“Peter, are you alright?” He spoke at a normal level but the mutant groaned and seemed to draw in on himself further, digging the inner surface of his hand further into his sensitive ears. 

Wanda whispered as quietly as she could, “Sensory overload?” Peter nodded, confirming her suspicions. The pain in his head was subsiding now but it was still prominent.

Noise clanged in his skull, rebounding against the bone, piercing his thoughts. The super-teen pulled his hands away from his ears and looked down at his discoloured skin. He wondered if his nail would grow back or not. He had read somewhere that if the whole nail came of it could not grow back, so he could only hope they would. Every breath he took made his lungs stutter and shake within his chest. The cell was freezing causing the mutant, who couldn’t thermoregulate, to shudder, grab the thin blanket from the bed and move closer to the glass wall. Wanda’s body heat from the other side was heating him up and comforting. He craved human touch that was not malevolent. 

Peter felt his senses return to their normal state.  
“Sorry.” He mumbled to the fellow superheroes.  
“Why are you sorry, Pete?” Scott questioned, his forehead creased.  
“For...worrying you, I guess.”  
Wanda sighed, a light smile caressing her features, “Not much you can do about that.”  
“Are you okay?” Clint asked his question again. Peter just shrugged.  
“Didn’t wan’ answer his question.” Peter muttered. Sam and Scott glanced at each other, connecting the dots. 

The elevator dinged. 4 men stepped out holding trays of food. They walked towards Wanda, Scott, Sam and Clint and the glass lifted a few centimetres for the tray to be pushed through. One of the 4 men walked towards Peter’s cell, holding just a cup of water. It was passed to Peter, who looked at Wanda’s tray of mysterious meat and soup, and wondered why he wasn’t getting what all the rest seemed to have. 

“Hey! Where’s the kid’s food?”Wanda yelled at the leaving men.  
Clint was mad. He wouldn’t just stand idly by whilst a kid was given nothing to eat. The boy had already missed them come in for breakfast because he was out with Ross. Clint snarled and he heard the familiar hum of Wanda’s powers being stimulated followed by a hiss of pain. At the same time they both picked up their trays and threw them at the glass wall in from of them. Scott and Sam quickly followed their lead. 

Peter couldn’t tell if Ross was testing his metabolism or if this was to help torture the answers out of him. He looked over at his new found friends, all of them with an angry fire burning in their eyes. They all were willing to starve themselves for him. Each one of them was already struggling yet didn’t think twice about standing up for him. Not one of them deserved to be in here. Sure, they had sided with the wrong person but they had done it because it’s what they believed in. Knowing the consequences, they still fought alongside and against their friends for their right to use their own morals rather then a governments. Peter felt inspired by these people who had showed him nothing but comfort since he arrived. 

All four heroes glared at the retreating guards. Wanda sat down opposite Peter.  
“We’ve got a lot of spare time, Pytor. Fancy learning some Ukrainian?”

A week and 3 days passed. Every day without fail Peter had been pulled from his cell and brought to Room 86. Ross had wanted to test his healing factor. He had wanted to test how fast his flesh healed and how fast his bones healed. Peter had had to pull the knife out of his gut himself with broken fingers and arms, all whilst screaming and cursing in Ukrainian.

_”гівно!”_

_”чортове пекло!”_

The teen had been poked, prodded, injected, burned and tested on. The Secretary of State had attempted to get answers out of Peter again and again and yet the young genius refused to give in. He was determined never to, even if he spent the rest of his life rotting in the raft. That was something he didn’t want to think about.

Without fail, everyday, he thought about whether or not Mr Stark was trying to save him. Every passing moment, he thought it less likely, but he likes to imagine him busting down the elevator doors in his Iron Man suit and flying Peter back home to May. 

When he wasn’t thinking about his friends and family or learning Ukrainian with Wanda, he was muttering scientific equations and historic dates under his breath. When...If he got out, he wanted to be still at the top of his game, acing his tests. 

Peter’s birthday arrived. He hadn’t properly celebrated it since Ben had died. Celebrations like birthdays had become bittersweet. They weren’t the same without his uncle and this year it was even worse. He didn’t have his aunt, or anyone, to cuddle and, well, cry with. He wanted May so bad he could hardly breathe. Which was becoming a normal occurrence for him. May Parker was his pillar of strength and stability. Being away from her for so long made him feel like his world was falling apart.

Apparently Thaddeus Ross didn’t have the decency to leave Peter alone on his birthday. Once again Peter had found himself in Room 86.  
“C’mon, man, it’s my birthday. Just one day of peace would be a sufficient present. Please?” Ross had laughed, “ебатьвас, значить.” 

Ross broke Peter’s fingers again, and then let the spider-themed hero go, smirking to himself. Peter knew he was planning something but just wanted to leave the room that darkened his daytimes and haunted his nightmares. Later in the day he had figured out what Ross had been scheming. A cake came in alongside his prison families dinners. When it was placed in his cell, Peter had eyed it suspiciously.  
“Hey, Wands, Clint, do you think this has something bad in it?” He poked the cake only for it to tear, revealing glass and boiling acid which burnt this fingertip and sprayed broken glass all over the floor. He jumped onto his bed to get away from it, but some glass found its way into his knees causing a searing pain. 

Officially, the worst birthday he’d ever had. Not terrible though. Wanda had attempted to use her magic to send the warmth of a hug to him, resulting in her writhing in pain on the floor for a solid minute but she quickly got over it. He’d only been with Ross for half an hour and his fingers were healing in the correct place **this** time.

He still hoped Tony was trying his best to save him.

—————————————————————————

“You’re not okay, Tones, you need to rest.”

“I can’t, alright, I can’t!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> З Днем Народження, павук!- Happy Birthday, Spider!  
> гівно!- Shit!  
> чортове пекло!-Fucking hell  
> ебатьвас, значить.- Fuck you, then.
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


	8. We’ll do it together.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Stony we’ve all been waiting for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi  
> Sorry this took so long to come out.  
> Little homemade meme at the end that I hope you’ll enjoy.
> 
> <3

Chapter 8

Tony was so tired. He was happy that Steve was back but the circumstances were souring the reunion significantly. All he wanted was his Spider-Kid back so he could stop worrying. After trying to sleep, lying in bed for 3 hours staring at the ceiling, he had given up and went to make himself a coffee. He had been sitting in the kitchen area of the common room, lost in his thoughts, when Steve had walked in.

“Tony, how long have you been up?” The war veteran said, blue eyes darkening with concern.  
“I, uh, I didn’t sleep...” Tony had looked down at his feet, sheepishly, “But I’m okay, Steve, really.” Steve came and sat on the stool next to Tony.  
“You’re not okay, Tones, you need to rest.” 

“I can’t, alright, I can’t!” Before Tony could stop them, tears were running down his face. He felt Steve’s warm embrace overtake him. The super-soldier had never seen the billionaire so upset. It hurt to see him so...broken. He had never imagined Tony as the fatherly type, but here it was, clear as day. It looked good on him. All the articles that said he was a heartless playboy didn’t know the real Tony. The Tony that Steve knew and adored. 

Fighting him in Germany and then Siberia had broke Steve’s heart. He never wanted to even argue with him again. Tony’s coffee brown eyes met his. The look of trust that Steve had known so well was gone, replaced with one of vulnerability and stress. 

Steve had never met Peter properly but, if he was able to worm his way into Natasha’s guarded heart, he must be a pretty special kid. He had already been planning to bust into the raft but he had known his team could hang on until the moment was right. A teenager? Steve wasn’t so sure. From everything he’d learned about Peter, he seemed to have dealt with enough grief in his life already. He had thought about why it was important to Ross to have the enhanced teen in his custody. The super soldier knew that the Secretary of State was charismatic and would get whatever he wanted from the government. Tony would have a hard time changing the accords but it was what had to be done and now.

“Boss, incoming video call from Thaddeus Ross.” FRIDAY’s voice broke the silence. Tony’s eyes narrowed.  
“Steve, get away from the camera. FRIDAY, Answer it.” 

“Hey, Mr Stark. How are you doing?” Ross was grinning like a mad man.  
“What the fuck do you want?!” The philanthropist snarled.  
“Ah, you know, just checking in. Peter’s been asking your pal Clint Barton if he thinks your coming to save him.” Tony’s eyes turned watery for a split second before his facade of strength returned.  
“What are you doing to my kid, Ross?” Tony spat.  
“Oh, nothing, really. It’s not like he needs fingernails, anyway.” Tony stiffened. Ross continued, “I think he enjoyed his birthday gift.” The grin that spread across the mans face made Tony unsure of whether he wanted to inquire further or not.

“Well I’ve got to be off now, Stark, I still need answers from ‘your kid’ and, well, that boy sure is stubborn.” He waved and the video call ended.

“FRIDAY. You record all of that?”  
“Yes, boss.”  
“Good, compile it in my ‘Proof Ross Is A Psycho’ folder.”

Tony stormed from the room. Steve quickly followed him.  
“Tones, are you okay?!” Steve called, trying to catch up but give Tony the space he obviously needed. Tony ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. The super soldier sighed. Soon the sound of crying could be heard from behind the door.  
“Oh, Tony...” Steve slid down the door, leaning his back against it. On the other side, Tony was in the same position. “We’ll save him, Tony, we will. And then we can take turns beating the shit out of Ross.” Tony let out a little snort at that, and Steve’s heart melted. He just wanted Tony to be happy forever.  
“I just want him to know I’m trying to save him and... and that I care about him. Because I do. I really do.” The genius’ voice broke as he confessed his feelings. 

The bathroom door had unlocked with a click and Tony appeared in the doorway. Steve stood quickly. The Stark had thrown himself at Steve, wrapping his arms around the super soldiers waist. Tony’s body had shook under Steve’s hold, his body wracked with emotion.  
“I’m sorry, Stevie...” Tony murmured.  
“You don’t have to be, Tones.”

They had stayed in the same position, hugging each other tight, for longer than they could keep track of. Neither wanted to lose each other again, but they had work to do.

Save Peter.  
———————————————————-

“We can be bug bros!”  
“Actually, spiders are arachnids.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, correct my mistakes <3


	9. Not your property.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owie + Scottie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️WARNING: torture and description of injury⚠️
> 
> Happy new yearrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Peter had screamed.

The blistering metal was brought down hard on his right pec.

‘PROPERTY OF THE RAFT’, branded on his skin, permanently. Then Ross had replaced the boys shirt and spelled out, letter by letter, the word ‘FREAK’ huge on the the outside of his left wrist.  
“Because that’s what your are, Spider-Man. A freak. Not a hero. A freak.” Ross had shaken his head a Peter, as if Peter was in the wrong. The teen had spat in Ross’ face.  
“йди до біса!”

Peter was getting sick. Really sick. He could feel his lungs giving out. The lack of food had inhibited his healing factor. Bruises that would have healed in minutes before were still littering his body days later. The, now regular, water-boarding was making him feel like he had before he was bitten by that damned spider. Back when he was just a sickly, asthmatic orphan. No matter how bad it got, he was determined to not let his struggle show. Peter had realised that the facade of strength wasn’t to convince others, it was to convince himself. To convince himself he wasn’t tearing at the seams. To convince himself he could get through this. His body was giving up but the super powered teens spirit wouldn’t break. The pain, the helplessness, the fear; it would not make him answer Ross’ questions. 

Peter could tell Ross was getting increasingly exasperated. The Secretary of State had taken to just pounding Peter with his fists and yelling his frustrations away. Today was no different. When the branding had failed to pry answers out of the youth, Ross had stormed over to a metal table and grabbed a meat cleaver. Peter had yelped in fear as the furious man charged towards him. The cleaver was stabbed into Peter’s exposed thigh, cracking his femur in the process. Peter’s screaming had turned to weeping as his blood quickly covered the chair and himself. 

“Put him in Lang’s cell. Let him sort this out.” Ross had ordered a guard. 

The guard had come forward, undid the bonds and grabbed the blubbering child by his shirt. Peter was thrown into Scott’s cell, followed by a first aid kit. Scott looked confused, and then horrified by the gruesome mess of Peter’s thigh.  
“Uh, fix his leg.” The guard said, gruffly.  
“What!? I don’t know how to do that!” Scott called after the man but it was no use. He opened up the first aid kit and, under Clint and Sam’s instruction, stitched up Peter’s wound. Peter had squirmed and sobbed through the ordeal until he’d, thankfully, passed out.  
“I’m sorry, Pete, I’m so sorry.” Scott had repeated, over and over, knowing he was doing what had to be done but hating the fact he was hurting the young boy.  
“Guys, I think he’s really ill...” Scott told the others. Peter was feverish and sweating uncontrollably, so the older avenger removed his long-sleeved shirt.  
“Oh my god.” Scott gasped.  
“What?! What is it?!” Wanda questioned, her voice dripping with concern. Scott didn’t say anything, just sat Peter up against the wall, showing his chest and arm. The heroes grimaced as they all saw what Ross had marked on Peter’s flesh.  
“Fucking psycho...” Clint muttered. Wanda had cried quietly in the corner of her cell. Sam had started punching the wall of his cell until his knuckles sliced open and bled. 

Scott held Peter close to him. It had felt good to be able to hug someone, feel their warmth and be comforted by it.  
After 20 minutes of painful and loud silence, Peter had started to whimper in his sleep, clearly having a nightmare.  
“Peter, wake up. Kid, it’s not real, wake up!” Scott shook him gently and Peter’s eyes fluttered open. Evidently, he hadn’t immediately realised who he was with because he leaped and latched onto the ceiling.  
“Peter, it’s okay! It’s just me, Scott.” The ant-themed superhero reassured Peter.  
“Oh. Sorry...” Peter climbed down the wall. He had looked down at his injury-littered self and teared up when he, for the first time, really took in the word that Ross had seared onto his battered body. Now he would never be able to forget his time at the raft, even if he did get out. The word on his arm made him feel worthless. Scott saw Peter start to sniffle and sighed. The kid had been through too much in his short life. Scott just wanted to protect the boy from the demon of a man who was hurting him.  
“Pete... It’s not true. You’re not owned by anyone. Ross is sick in the head. You’re not a freak, either. You got these powers and you chose to use them for good. You’re a hero.” The older hero told Peter, sincerely. The teen had given a small smile and shuffled over to embrace Scott.  
“чорт правильно він” Wanda muttered.  
“Thank you, Scott...” Peter said, his head resting on Scott’s chest.  
“I just told the truth, kiddo.” Scott grinned down at the sleepy child, “Hey, we can be bug bros!”  
“Actually, spiders are arachnids...” Peter had said and then begun to snore softly.  
All the experienced heroes had looked at the baby-faced mutant and knew that he was the best of them and always would be.

—————————————————

“Would you care to explain why on Earth there is currently a newly-turned 15 year old, who has never hurt a soul, in your prison?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Point out mistakes please
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


	10. What are you going to do about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I am sooooo sorry this took so long to be updated. I was back at school and a bit deflated and it’s not really an excuse but I just didn’t have the motivation to put my head down and write this chapter.  
> The next one will be up a lot quicker!
> 
> Enjoy <3

Chapter 10 

“Tony, wake up! Today’s the day!” Steve shook Tony’s shoulder gently. Tony opened his eyes and practically leaped out of bed. He got dressed and ate breakfast with his morning coffee. Today they would appeal their revised version of the accords to the UN. If all went well, Peter would be out of the Raft in a matter of days. If it didn’t... nobody wanted to think about that.  
“We’ve already sent the documents ahead of time so it’ll just be them asking us questions.” Tony explained to Natasha, Rhodes and Vision. Steve wouldn’t be able to come with them as much as he wanted too; even him waiting on the quinjet would be risky. 

All the heroes got ready for the trying day ahead of them. The time came for them to leave. They all boarded the quinjet with stoic faces. Steve mouthed ‘it will all be okay’ to Tony as the doors slid shut. 

They arrived at the UNs headquarters on the other side of Manhattan in record time. Tony took a deep breath and walked through the establishment to the large meeting room that reminded Tony of a modernised Greek theatre. There was a large screen projecting what was on a laptop. The group of 4 took their designated seats. Natasha saw Thaddeus Ross across the room and had to suppress the urge to wring his neck there and then. Vision put a hand on her shoulder, sensing her unease. 

“Could Tony Stark please stand and walk to the centre of the room please?” King T’Challa of Wakanda spoke up. Rhodes nodded at his childhood friend and pushed him gently off is chair and towards the place the fate of his friends and family would be decided. Tony walked on wobbly legs. He’d never been nervous in front of a crowd before but this was different. If this went wrong, his kid would be stuck on the raft for as long as he lived or he’d be broken out and him and Steve would have to live on the run and that was no way spend your life. 

He got to the middle of the room.

“First of all, we want to know why now? Why tell us you want to change the Sokovia accords now?” President Matthew Ellis questioned. Tony pondered his response.  
“I’ve known they needed to change for a while but recently they affected someone...close to me...They were put in the raft and it’s because certain things weren’t taken into account when the accords were written. Like... hm, I don’t know... teenage superheroes.” There was a ripple of unease amongst the world leaders. “In fact, President Ellis, I have a question for you. Would you care to explain why on Earth there is currently a newly-turned 15 year old, who has never hurt a soul, in your prison?!” Tony heard his voice raise and regretted it but he couldn’t stop the emotion filtering into his voice. Noises of outrage and small conversations filled the room.  
“If you are referring to Peter Parker, Mr Stark, he was arrested for vigilantism and failure to sign the accords...” Thaddeus Ross stepped forward.  
Tony glared. “Peter is only just 15. He’s too young to sign a document that gives away most of his freedom. That’s why in the revised version of the Sokovia Accords I sent you, I specifically added about minors being exempt. I want to also bring attention to the treatment of prisoners in the raft. I have evidence to suggest use of torture on inmates.” Once again sounds of objection rang out amongst the room.  
“Is this true, Mr President?” King T’Challa asked. All the leaders knew the American government was in charge of the Raft prison.  
President Ellis turned to Ross and narrowed his eyes. “Mr Ross? Is it?”  
Ross scoffed, “Of course it’s not! Everyone knows Tony Stark is delusional!”  
Tony walked over to the laptop and, brandishing a USB, pulled up the recorded video call from the day before. 

_“Hey, Mr... Just Checking...pal Clint... It’s not like he needs fingernails, anyway...”_ “Jesus Christ...” someone hissed. _“... I still need answers from ‘your kid’ and, well, that boy sure is stubborn.”_ The video ended. 

“How was this allowed to happen?!” Someone shouted.  
“I can assure you, a full investigation will take place and if we find any evidence of the mistreatment of inmates, the person responsible will be persecuted.” President Ellis assured the room.

Only a select few noticed Thaddeus Ross leaving.

————————————————————————

“Look, Parker, I don’t have much time left. So neither do you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, it really makes my day and gives me the energy to write the next chapter <3 as always point out mistakes <3


	11. We’re coming, kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️WARNING: torture⚠️
> 
> Hi! This chapter is up as a birthday present to...myself(?). Please leave a comment! It makes my day and motivates me to write the next chapter!  
> Enjoy <3

Peter Parker was done. Done. He couldn’t even think straight anymore. He was tired, hungry, struggling to breathe properly, freezing, in constant pain, and at this point: he even missed Flash. His prison family were making it easier but it had been so, so long now. After so long with only one meal every few days, he would die to enjoy just one more burnt meal cooked by his Aunt May. Peter had given up on the idea of being rescued by Mr Stark. He didn’t know why he had thought he would free him in the first place. It’s not like Peter was his son, he was just the only guy Mr Stark could find to help him on short notice. 

After being put back in his own cell, Peter had been spending most of his time just trying to stay warm and finding positions that didn’t jostle his injuries. He was sure he had fluid in his lungs. _oh well,_ Peter thought to himself, _at least I probably don’t have long left..._ His 4 fellow inmates could see he was getting weaker and weaker as the hours passed. 

For what seemed like the millionth time, the elevator dinged, and he didn’t even put up a fight when he was dragged out of his cell towards the bane of Peter’s existence. Thaddeus Ross.

——————————————————

“Steve, I just know it, okay?! I know, if we go now, we’ll get away with it scot-free. You’ll only be put under house arrest for at most 3 years but it’ll be less than that because as Natasha said ‘the world needs The Avengers.’”Tony pleaded.  
“Okay okay! We’ll do it but we have to plan, alright?” Steve compromised.  
“Yes, of course. So the investigation on the raft begins tonight. We’ll go at the same time and hopefully, we’ll get Peter and catch Ross doing something he shouldn’t be so we can back up killing him as soon as we see him.”  
Steve nodded and Tony hugged him tight.  
“Thank you, Steve, for everything you’ve done and are doing for me and Pete.”  
“Anything for you.” Steve smiled down at Tony. And suddenly they were kissing. Tony pulled away, “Later, when we have something to celebrate.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. Tell everyone to suit up.”

———————————————————

“Look, Parker, I don’t have much time left. So neither do you.”

Ross looked downright crazed. His eyes were wide and he was holding a semi-automatic pistol. And he looked ready to fire it. 

“You tell me in the next five fucking minutes exactly what I want to know, or I swear to god, I’ll kill you. Right here. Right now. You’re on a timer.” 

———————————————————  
Tony, Steve, Natasha and Rhodes all stepped off the quinjet. 

“C’mon lets go find your kid.” Steve said to Tony.  
“And kill that son of bitch.” Tony finished. 

—————————————————

Peter didn’t have to think about it at all. His life wasn’t more important than stopping what Ross was planning on doing. 

“No point in waiting 5 minutes, Ross. I’m not telling you anything.” 

A low, animalistic roar erupted from Ross. He picked up a knife and launched himself at Peter. The Secretary of State held the knife to Peter’s neck, pressing it just enough to draw blood. Peter steeled himself and spat in Ross’ red face. Ross roared again and stabbed the knife into Peter’s shoulder. 

——————————————————-

Tony heard the scream and instantly recognised it as his Peter’s. 

“Fuck!” Without a second thought, he was sprinting towards the door labelled ‘86’. 

—————————————————— 

Ross levelled his pistol with Peter’s forehead. 

“Any last words?” Ross grinned.

“...Yeah... turn around...” What Ross didn’t know was that Peter’s increased hearing abilities meant he had heard a familiar voice shout ‘Fuck!’ and then began running closer and closer to the door. 

Ross turned around just as the door flew open revealing Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. With new found energy, Peter lifted his leg and kicked the gun out of Ross’s hand. The ex-U.S army general was slammed into the wall and Steve threw punch after punch at his face. Tony ran forward and undid the bonds holding Peter down. As soon as Peter was free, he wrapped his arms around his mentor and didn’t want to let go. Tony hated how he could feel all of Peter’s bones but was happy to be able to hold him after all this time. 

Steve turned to Tony, “Do you want to do it?” Tony nodded and stalked towards the bloodied Ross. Steve tried to guide Peter out of the room but the young genius clocked what Steve had meant.  
“Wait! Mr Stark, you can’t kill him. It’s wrong!” Peter exclaimed. Tony looked at Peter and tilted his head.  
“Pete, you’re bleeding right now, because of this asshole. After all he did to you, you’re defending him?” Tony asked, clearly confused.  
“No, Mr Stark, I just think he should go to jail for what he did, not be killed. You’d just be stooping to his level.” Peter explained himself, his big brown eyes wide and pleading.  
“Okay. I won’t kill him, Pete.... God, you’re such a good kid.” Tony smiled at the boy he didn’t think could possibly be more pure.  
“Let’s go get the others, get you some medical attention and get you all home, okay?” Steve guided Peter towards the door. 

“Yeah, that sounds good...” Peter muttered before promptly collapsing against Steve.

———————————————————————-

“I’m so, so sorry to have to tell you this, Peter...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks sooo much for reading. The next ones gonna be rough, I’m not going to lie to you, it’s gonna be hard to write but hopefully it will be done soon!


	12. Always a downside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️WARNING: finding out about a death and also some medical stuff if that makes you uncomfortable ⚠️
> 
> I think some of you have guessed at what is happening in this chapter but um here it is...
> 
> Enjoy<3

Steve felt Peter go limp against his shoulder. He scooped him up gently, being wary of the child’s various injuries.  
“Take him up to the quinjet, Steve, I’ll get the others and make sure Ross is in handcuffs in the next 5 minutes.” Tony said, taking charge. Steve nodded and carried the spiderling out of the room.

A few FBI officials came in, saw the table full of bloodied weapons and knew what Tony had said at the meeting yesterday was true. They rushed forward and handcuffed Ross before dragging his unconscious body out of the room. Tony glared as he left. That man had caused his child so much pain and there was no way he was going to get away with it.

Snapping out of it, Tony strode back out of the room and into the elevator. When the former-playboy stepped out, he was met with 4 shocked, familiar faces.  
“Tony?” A smile was forming on Wanda’s face.  
“Oh my god, Stark, the kid- Spider-Man- Ross took him upstai-“ Clint was cut off.  
“Don’t worry, we got him. He’s with Steve now.”  
“Steve’s here? With you?” Sam looked confused. Tony just nodded.  
“Cmon, let’s get out of here.” The genius tapped a button on his watch and all the barriers lifted so that the rogues could get out. “The quinjets on the roof.” 

10 minutes later, everyone was on the jet and flying home. Peter was still knocked out and his shoulder was being tended to. Tony watched from the background, not noticing Sam come up behind him.  
“You came for him.” Wilson said, simply.  
“I was never going to leave him there. He’s a special kid.”  
Sam patted his shoulder before going back over to sit down somewhere comfortable.  
The rest of the journey home was in silence, the only sounds were the beeping of Peter’s heart monitor and the hum of the engine. 

When they got to the avengers tower, Peter was carted off towards the medbay, Tony and Steve following close behind. Natasha and Rhodes trying to guide the rest of the new arrivals to get checked out when Vision floated through the walls and saw Wanda. They met in the middle of the room and embraced each other, their foreheads touching as they reunited. 

Natasha saw the first smile on Vision’s face since Rhodes’ accident. 

————————————————————————-

Downstairs, Steve and Tony sat by Peter’s bed, waiting for him to open his eyes and see he was free. The poor kid was covered head to toe in injuries. His cheeks were gaunt and his stomach concave. A nasal cannula was keeping his oxygen levels steady and his breathing was being monitored very closely. There was a tube coming out of his chest that was draining fluid from his lungs. 

“Steve, we’re going to have to tell him probably as soon as he wakes up. He’ll ask about her.”  
“I know, Tones. It will be okay.”  
As the words came out of Steve’s mouth, Peter began to groan as his eyes opened, adjusting to the light.  
“Wanda, як довго я спав?” The young hero murmured.  
“Hey, Pete, it’s Tony and Steve. Not Wanda.” Tony said slowly, taking Peter’s hand. The teenager looked around him, taking in his surroundings.  
“Mr Stark, Captain Rogers... you saved me...thank you.” A smile graced Peter’s face.  
“Anytime, Spider-Man. And just call me Steve.” The blond-haired man grinned.  
“Is everyone else out?” Peter asked, eyes filled with hope.  
“Yeah, Pete, we got ‘em.” Tony stated.  
“And is May okay? When I got arrested, they hurt her. She got to a hospital, right?” Peter saw the way Tony and Steve’s faces fell, “Right?” Tears were suddenly welling up in the kids eyes.  
“I’m so, so sorry to have to tell you this, Peter...” Tony began.  
“No. No. No. N-No. Sh-She’s all...all I... h-have left.” Peter’s breathing became laboured.  
“Peter, when we got there it was too late...” Steve went round the other side of Peter’s bed and took his hand, “It will be okay. You have us, Pete, you are not alone.” 

Peter didn’t even seem to hear him. Tears were streaming down his face and he was staring at the ceiling. His mind was blank. This was all he could take. He had thought his pain was over for a brief second when he woke up in the medbay and not a cell. But that relief he had felt was gone. Replaced with grief and an extreme sadness. He had lost the one person he had left to call his family. Now he was alone in the world. Completely and devastatingly alone. 

Tony could see Peter was spiralling and tried to snap him out of it.  
“Pete? Peter, listen to me.” Tony pleaded. Peter’s eyes flicked towards him before he reached down and yanked the IV out of his arm, the cannula out of his nose and the tube out his chest. That was a mistake. When he looked down, blood was coming out of the hole in torso the tube had left behind, but he wasn’t focused enough to care. Steve and Tony both tried to hold Peter down so the doctors could reinsert the tubes. The teenager ducked past their arms before leaping onto the ceiling. He slid into the vents before anyone could stop him.

“Fri, locate Peter and tell Barton we need his help.” Tony said, worry and stress making his voice wobble.  
Steve placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, Tony, it will all be okay once he’s got over the initial shock... right now, we just need to find him.”

————————————————————————

“I found him, guys, someone call Helen Cho.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes that went unnoticed! 
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


	13. Don’t go towards the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️WARNING: more medical stuff if that makes you uncomfortable⚠️
> 
> Hello! Sorry for the wait on this chapter!!
> 
> Special thanks to my best friend Damien for their knowledge of first aid and pneumonia. Very helpful. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Clint rushed in the door, a half-eaten sandwich in hand.  
“What’s going on? Where’s Peter?” Clint asked, eyes darting around the room and landing on the empty bed.  
“In the ventilation shaft above Mr Roger’s art room.” F.R.I.D.A.Y supplied helpfully.  
“Why? Is he okay?”  
Tony stood up, “We’ll explain later. Just go get him! I would do it but you’re the one who knows your way around the vents.”  
Clint nodded before pulling himself up into the inlet. The archer navigated his way towards Peter. He knew the way since jumping out at Steve was always fun as, unlike Natasha, he never saw it coming. One time, Clint had decided to scare Steve as he was walking to his canvas with a bucket of green paint. Barton chuckled to himself as he remembered the sight of Steve covered from head to toe.

As Clint neared, he heard the sounds of weak, quick breathing and sobs.  
“Peter?” Clint sped up.  
“C-C-Clint, is th-that you?”  
“Yeah, buddy, it’s me.” Clint turned to corner and finally saw Peter. There was blood on his torso and some trickling from his arm. There was vomit on the floor around him. He looked like a ghost, pale cheeks and watery eyes. His lips and fingers were tinged blue. Clint was instantly concerned the kid had pneumonia.  
“Sh-she’s gone, Clint. She’s... sh-she’s...dead.” Peter choked out the last word, his breathing slowing down. The older hero tried to guide his breathing back to a normal pace. Peter’s eyes went from frantic to glazed over and emotionless. And then Peter’s breathing stopped. 

Clint rushed forward, thoughts flying through his mind at a mile a minute. He took a deep breath to steady himself and then did what he had been trained to do on every first aid day at shield. He started CPR, desperate to save this poor child. 

5 rescue breaths. 

30 chest compressions. 

_“C’mon, kid, you gotta breathe for me. Please. You can do it, Pete. Stay with me... please...”_

2 rescue breaths. 

30 chest compressions.

_“F.R.I.D.A.Y! Call Helen Cho! Call anyone! He’s dying!”_

2 rescue breaths. 

And then Clint heard a spluttering cough. And then breathing. Small and shaky. But Peter was breathing. 

Clint scooped the frail child up into his strong arms and slid out of the vents into the art room below.  
“F.R.I.D.A.Y, relay this message to Steve and Tony for me: I found him, guys, someone call Helen Cho.”  
“Message received.”  
The towers medical staff burst in and lifted Peter gently into a stretcher. They rushed the boy back to the med bay, Clint running alongside them, not letting the teenager put of his sight. 

When they arrived, a medical ventilator was attached to Peter’s mouth and nose. He was hooked up to a heart monitor and an IV.  
“Helen’s on her way.” Tony said. His eyes were wide and his hands were shaking.  
“She will sort him out, Tony. She’s the best in the business. The healing superhero business, that is.” Clint was reassuring himself as much as Tony. 

Exactly 6 minutes and 37 seconds later, Doctor Helen Cho appeared in the doorway. She turned calmly to the doctor, Dr Steward, handling Peter and asked,  
“Are you in charge here?”  
The doctor nodded, “This is Peter Parker, age 15, male. Went into cardiac arrest. Signs of malnourishment. Suspected pneumonia and Pulmonary Edema.”  
“Any powers?”  
“Yes, Mr Stark here knows the full extent.” Dr Steward stepped aside and Tony moved in.  
“He’s Spider-Man. He has an increased healing factor but it doesn’t seem to be working. Been at the raft for ‘bout a month. Crazy fast metabolism.” Tony tried to explain as quickly as he could. Cho nodded and busied herself taking a blood sample from Peter.  
“We need to get his blood sugars up. I think the lack of food has inhibited his healing factor. A quick chest radiograph will tell us if he has fluid in his lungs and the extent, but it does seem to be the case.”  
“Will he be okay?” Tony asked, eyes pleading.  
“I don’t make promises, Stark, but if nothing unexpected comes up, he’ll most likely make a full recovery.” Helen answered, not trying to get his hopes up too much.

The test results came in and Helen was pleased to see it was just a more severe case of Pulmonary Edema and a fractured sternum, not something she hadn’t dealt with before. Peter’s body was getting some of the nutrients it so desperately needed and as soon as his healing factor kicked back in, he would probably not need the oxygen support anymore and his sternum would heal itself. 

Physically? The kid would be fine. 

Mentally? She wasn’t so sure. 

—————————————————

“I’m scared, Mr Stark, I’m so scared.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this was good haha sorry for any medical stuff that was wrong. I tried. Watched a whole long video on ambulance handover. My search history looks a little concerning at this point. Especially if you scroll back to ‘water boarding... detailing...medieval torture techniques...’ 
> 
> Leave me a comment, they make my day! 
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


	14. ‘Us’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi so sorry for the wait on this chapter, I had exams and got kittens (Natasha and Dio) but here it is!
> 
> Enjoy!

Tony Stark was lying on the couch contemplating the upcoming days when Steve came round the chair and into Tony’s line of vision. 

“Hey, Tones. Have you had any sleep?” Tony shook his head and sat up.  
“Tony it’s okay, he’s safe. You can rest now.” Steve gave him a reassuring smile and sat down on the couch next to him. The scientist cuddled close into Steve’s torso, relishing in his comforting warmth.

“Poor kid’s lost everything...” The super soldier remarked.  
“He has me. He has us, doesn’t he?” Steve’s eyes lit up at the word ‘us.’  
“Yeah. Yeah, of course. He has us.” Steve nodded as he agreed profusely.  
After a few moments of content silence, Tony blurted out, “I’m going to adopt Peter.” Steve turned so he was facing him completely.  
“Are you sure? I know that he needs someone but having a kid, let alone a super-powered one, is a big responsibility-“  
Tony cut him off, “I’ve been thinking about it since we found May. He can’t go into care and S.H.I.E.LD know he was powers so they’ll be trying to recruit him in no time. Peter needs support that only we can give him now.”  
“We?” Steve cocked his head.  
“Well, yeah. I can’t do it all on my own. And, well, Steve, I...I really like you, y’know...” Tony trailed off. A look of subtle joy took over Steve’s face.  
“I like you too. A lot.” Steve was sincere and he did really want to help Tony and Peter in every way he could. The war veteran gave in to what his heart was begging him to do. He leaned in close to Tony and their lips connected. 

The kiss was short-lived.  
“Sorry to interrupt, Boss, but Mr Parker seems to be in distress.” F.R.I.D.A.Y informed the pair. Tony leapt up off the couch and into the waiting elevator, Steve close on his heels. The elevator dinged as they arrived at the medbay floor. The last living Stark rushed into Peter’s room to see the boy in question writhing in his sleep. Tears were running down his face and small whimpers were escaping his mouth. 

“May...I’m...I’m so...sorry...” Peter mumbled. His arms flailed around. Beads of sweat covered his forehead.  
“Fri! Should I wake him up?!” Tony asked, voice frantic.  
“It appears he may hurt himself if you do not. Wake him up gently.” F.R.I.D.A.Y instructed. Tony moved forward, taking the boys hand, and put a hand on Peter’s shoulder.  
“Wake up, kid. It’s just a dream.” The ex-playboy used a calm voice whilst lightly shaking the sobbing child. 

Peter’s eyes flew open, pulling his hand away from Tony’s. He relaxed slightly as he recognised his surroundings but was clearly still clearly on high alert.  
“Mr Stark, hey. Sorry about that.” Peter blinked back tears.  
“Are you okay, kiddo?” Tony retook Peter’s hand. Peter nodded and inched a little closer to the older hero. Steve positioned himself in the doorway.  
“I get bad dreams too, Pete.” The super soldier said, moving to hold Peter’s other hand.  
“Really?” Peter seemed unconvinced.  
“Really.”  
Tony brushed a tear off Peter’s cheek, “Me too, kiddo. D’you want to talk about your dream?”  
Peter curled in slightly on himself, “I just feel like... I could have done more to save her. I know... I know that I was being arrested but... but I have super strength. I could have taken them all but I didn’t because I wasn’t thinking;” Peters breath hitched and his voice broke. “She... she could be alive right now if I had done more.” 

Tony wrapped his arms around Peter’s shaking form. “It is not your fault, okay? Repeat it. ‘It’s not my fault. Your turn, go.”  
“It’s not my fault.” Peter mumbled . “I just love- loved her so much, y’know. She was there for me when my parents died and then when my uncle Ben got shot. And now what?! I have no family left and...” Peter’s breath became irratic, “I... I can’t go into foster care b-but I have no family left and god...I’m so scared Mr Stark. What’s gonna happen to me?” Peter looked at Tony with all the trust in the world in his eyes.  
“It’s okay, Petey, we’ve got you.” Tony cradled Peter close to his chest, ”Nothings gonna hurt you, not while I’m around. Just breathe, kiddo, just breathe." Steve moved in to join the hug.  
“Things will try to get us down. Sorry, but,” Steve chuckled, “We’re sticking around.”  
“He’s right, bambino. You don’t have to worry about going into care or anything like that if you want to stay here. With me. And with Steve. All the avengers, too. How does that sound, kiddo?” Peter looked up at Tony like he was talking an alien language.  
“Are you serious?” Tony nodded, so Peter continued, “I’d like that Mr Stark.” A smile brightened all three faces. 

“Bet you’re hungry, aren’t you?” Tony asked. Peter nodded. “It’s Friday, so we gonna have our weekly big avengers dinner and then we’re all gonna settle down and watch a film. Do you want to join us? We’ll let you pick the food and the movie.”  
“That sounds fun. Can we have pasta and watch one of the Star Wars movies?” Peter asked.  
“If that’s what you want, of course. But first. Chos gonna come and check up on you now that your awake.” 

As if on cue, Helen Cho entered the room. She looked stunned, “I can’t believe you’re awake already. And sitting up. Your healing factors double the rate of Rogers’. I wonder if it’s to do with your age. Anyway, you’re healing up nicely. Your vitals are normal.”  
Tony cut in, “Is he allowed to join us for pizza and a movie, tonight?”  
Helen thought about it for a minute, “Keep him in a wheelchair. His stab wounds are still healing up. Don’t eat to much, Mr Parker, or you’ll throw it all up. I’ll be on hand if I’m needed. Just be smart, and it should be fine.” Helen smiles at Peter, 

“Enjoy yourself.” 

————————————————————-—

“Touch my pizza, Barton, and I’ll throw this candle at your head.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3


	15. Movie night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly fluff today! I think we all need a bit of fluff at the moment. I don’t hate this one so that’s good! 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy <3

“I’ll go order the pizza and let everyone know that we’re gonna start dinner in 20 minutes. There’s clothes of yours in that draw. Steve will help you, alright, bambino?” Tony asked, getting up and walking towards the door.  
“Uh-huh” Peter nodded and Tony left.  
“Okay, Pete, what do you want to wear?” Steve pulled some T-shirt’s out of the draw next to Peter’s bed. Peter glanced down at his arms, littered with scars, bruises and, on his left wrist, the word ‘freak’.  
“Can I wear a hoodie and some jeans, please?” Peter asked, politely.  
“Sure, kid.” The older hero pulled out a navy blue hoodie and some black jeans.  
“Can I take a shower?”  
“Of course. I’ll just go get the wheelchair and take you to the bathroom.” Steve left and returned with a basic black wheelchair. He lifted Peter’s small frame into it and wheeled him to the bathroom.  
“I don’t think I’ll need help from here.” Peter said, awkwardly.  
“O-okay. Call me if you need me.” Steve said, blushing. 

Once Steve had left him, Peter removed the hospital gown and saw himself in the mirror for the first time in weeks. He looked horrific. He was covered in bandages and discoloured patches of skin.  
“Hey, Ms F.R.I.D.A.Y, do you know how I’m supposed to shower with these bandages on?”  
“These bandages have been specially developed to be worn in showers without complications. Shower as you would normally.”  
“Thank you.”  
“No problem, Mr Parker.”  
“Just Peter is fine, thanks.”  
“Okay, Peter.” 

Peter climbed out of the wheelchair and steadied himself in the shower with the help of his adhesive powers. He showered for a good 15 minutes. It felt good to be properly clean. When he had taken showers in the raft he had to be so careful because of his injuries, so even after showers he felt dirty. 

He dried himself and got dressed.  
“Boss would like me to let you know that the pizzas are here.” F.R.I.D.A.Y informed the spider-themed teen.  
“Okay, thank you. Um, how do I get to where Mr Stark is?” Peter asked, timidly, whilst he wheeled himself out of the bathroom into an empty hallway.  
“I will guide you using the floor lights.” F.R.I.D.A.Y said as two white strips on the floor close to the walls lit up. Peter followed the lights until he heard loud voices coming from a room close by.  
_“Touch my pizza, Barton, and I’ll throw this candle at your head.”_

_“Tony, it is way too late for coffee.”_

_“Agh! Get her away from me!”_

_“It is never too late for coffee, Rhodes”_

“Oh, Pete, there you are.” Steve had appeared behind him.  
“Yeah, sorry, was I supposed to wait for you or something?”  
“No, you’re fine, don’t worry about it.” The supersoldier took the push handles of Peter’s wheelchair and wheeled him the rest of the way into the avengers common room. 

It was chaotic, to put it simply. The room was divided into three parts. On Peter’s right, there was a pristine kitchen. It had a big island in the middle with surrounded by tall stools. The cabinets were black with grey accents and it had low-hanging, warm lights. In the centre of the room there was a long and dark, wooden table with candles all down the middle. The remaining third of the room had a large television screen surrounded by bean bags, comfy-looking sofas and cabinets with glass doors filled with all sorts of snacks and drinks. Most of the avengers were sat around the table. Clint was standing on the kitchen island, running away from Natasha Romanoff. Tony was leaning on the back of one of the couches, drinking his coffee whilst Colonel Rhodes was trying to tell him why he shouldn’t be drinking so much coffee. Vision and Wanda had moved their chairs very close to each other at the table. Scott and Sam were unloading the pizzas onto the table. 

Tony looked up and saw Peter, “Oh, Pete, there you are. Come and get some pizza. I wasn’t sure what kind you liked but, between all of us, I think we have every type.”  
Clint came and pulled away a chair at the table and Steve pushed Peter’s wheelchair into the vacant space.  
“Y’alright, Pete?” Sam came and gave the boy a side hug.  
“Mhm.” Peter nodded. Scott patted Peter’s shoulder affectionately as he walked over to a seat next to Wanda.  
Everyone took their seats and started eating.  
Rhodes reached his hand over towards Peter, “It’s nice to officially meet you, Peter.”  
Peter smiled, “You too, Colonel Rhodes.”  
Peter picked up a piece of Hawaiian pizza.  
“Oh no, not another one. Pineapple on pizza, Peter, really?” Sam shook his head in false disappointment. Peter grinned, sheepishly.  
“See, me and Wanda aren’t the only ones!” Steve said, whilst he sat in the sat on Peters right. Tony lowered himself into the chair on Peter’s left. 

“Remember what Helen said, don’t eat to much or you’ll make yourself sick.” Tony reminded the teen. Peter nodded.  
“I normally eat like two pizzas to myself, but I’m already pretty full so I’ll just eat a few more slices.” Peter said under his breath to Tony and Steve. He didn’t want the team to be worrying about him too much. They all knew that he was injured but he didn’t want to be seen as weak.

Tony looked out at the group in front of him. Most of his dysfunctional family was back. S.H.I.E.L.D was still working on finding Bruce and Thor- well, no one ever even knows what planet Thor is on but he’d be back soon enough most likely- but, even though a few were missing, Tony felt happier than he had in a very long time. 

“So, what movie are we watching?” Natasha asked.  
“Peter wants to watch a Star Wars film. Which one, bud?” Tony turned to Peter.  
“Uh, Empire Strikes Back.”  
“You hear that, Fri?”  
“Yes, boss, preparing the movie now.” F.R.I.D.A.Y voiced. 

The group finished up the pizza and began slowly migrating over towards the TV.  
“Hey, Stark, c’mere. I need to talk to you.” Natasha beckoned Tony over. Tony eyed her suspiciously but followed her over to the kitchen area. “Look, I know what you’re going to say but just listen, okay? Ross is going to pass his trial. The defence are twisting all the evidence. Peter needs to make a statement in court. You need to talk to him about it and there’s the issue with the court’s bias against enhanced people but, it’s the only way that Ross is going to pay for what he has done. Also, you need to talk to everyone about the UN’s terms.”  
Tony thought for a minute, “Okay, we’ll just explain that now, before the movie, to the team. They’ll understand. Me and Steve will talk to Peter tomorrow morning. He doesn’t need anything to worry about tonight.” Natasha nodded and they walked over to the rest of the group. 

Scott and Sam were helping Peter onto one of the central sofas. Wanda sat next to him with Vision next to her. Tony and Steve sat on Peter’s other side. Scott and Sam flopped down on a pile of bean bags. Clint and Natasha sat on the floor and leaned on the couches.  
“Start the mo-“ Wanda began.  
“Wait a minute! Before we start me and Tony just need to lay something out.” Natasha interrupted. She turned to Tony.

“Yeah. Um, so we’re all back together again and I just want to discuss on what terms that is being allowed to happen. So, Sam and Wanda, since you live here already, the UN wants you to be on house arrest here for two years. Steve, you’re here for 3 years. Clint and Scott, you can either stay here or at your homes for 2 years. If or when Barnes comes back, he will have a fair trial. I thinks that’s all you need to know. If you have questions ask me, Nat or F.R.I.D.A.Y later.” Tony eyed the Black Widow. “Anything you’d like to add?” Natasha shook her head. “Okay then. Play the movie, Fri.” 

Peter cuddled up close to Wanda for the first time with no wall between them. She put an arm around his shoulders. Vision held her other hand. He patted Clint on the shoulder. Clint smiled up at Vision while he nudged Natasha playfully. Natasha shoved him in return and twisted so her legs were resting on Clint’s and her back was in Sam’s bean bag. Sam grinned down at her and pulled Scott’s bean bag closer to his. Tony rested his head on Steve’s shoulder and looked around at his team. They were all from different backgrounds, had been through different things and yet here they were, stronger than ever, in his opinion. They had been torn away from each other but none of that mattered because they were all together again, holding each other close. 

Tony would never let his family be split apart again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed <3


	16. What can’t be helped by a furry companion?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, readers! i hope you are all staying home and staying healthy. This chapter is dedicated to Damien, HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYY <3333
> 
> This chapter is the longest yet, its like 2.5k words whoops. I'm very happy with it though so i hope you all enjoy, especially you Damoo xxxx

The movie had finished and everyone was either already asleep or stumbling sleepily to their rooms. When Wanda had gotten up, she had gently laid Peter’s head on a pillow. Tony’s phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a text from Helen.  
_‘You can take Peter up to the room you set up for him before once the movie is over’ _  
“Hey, Stevie, Peter’s asleep.” Tony said, nudging the blonde man awake, gently  
“I know, I can hear him snoring.” Steve chuckled.  
“Helen said we can take him up to the room we made up for him 2 weeks ago.”  
“Oh, okay. Let’s take him up to bed.”__

__Tony pushed the wheelchair closer to where Peter was fast asleep. The war veteran scooped Peter up gently who wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck and his legs around Steve’s torso. Steve was lowering Peter to into the chair when he realised that he could not get Peter to let go of him.  
“Tony. Tony, I think he’s stuck himself to me.” The oldest hero said, eyes wide.  
“Oh my god, really?” Tony stifled a laugh.  
Steve nodded, “Yes, really. What do I do?’  
“I don’t know! Let’s just take him to his room and, hopefully, he’ll detach himself from you.” Stark responded, exasperated._ _

__Steve and Tony had based Peter’s room on his bedroom back at his apartment. The walls were blue and there were shelves decked with all of Peter’s Star Wars figurines. Tony had bought Peter some Spider-Man themed bed sheets. He had hoped it would make the teenager laugh. When all of Peter’s belongings had arrived at the tower, amongst them had been a worn Iron Man plushie. Tony had placed that at the head of Peter’s bed. There was a wardrobe full of Peter’s clothes._ _

__Tony pulled away the covers on Peter’s bed and Steve once again tried to put Peter down.  
“He won’t let go, Tony.”  
“Um, why don’t you just sit on the bed and maybe he will relax and slip off you?” _ _

__Steve sat down and stroked the young mutants back, gently. Tony sat down next to them and after about 15 minutes, Peter released his hold on Steve. The pair made sure that Peter was comfortable before leaving the room quietly._ _

__“Well, now we know not to pick him up when he’s sleeping.” Tony grinned.  
“Yeah, I did not think he would be able to stick to me.”  
“Neither did I. We need to ask him more about his powers. Also, tomorrow morning we need to talk to Peter about a few things…” Tony told Steve everything that Nat had told him.  
Steve grimaced, “I don’t want Peter near that man.”  
“I know, Steve, but he cannot get away with this.”  
Steve nodded, “Okay, we will tell him at breakfast tomorrow. He can have breakfast in bed.”  
Tony smiled at Steve’s thoughtfulness and then they kissed each other passionately. Tony took Steve’s hand and pulled him off towards Tony’s bedroom…  
\---------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__

__Peter woke up and looked around at his new surroundings. When he saw his stuff from the apartment he realised Tony must have had all his things sent here. He saw his iron man plush and blushed. Tony was not supposed to see that. He had owned it since 2010. Aunt May had bought it for him and said that Iron Man would protect him. Tony _had _protected him that year when he had gone to the Stark Expo and the Hammer tech bots had started attacking everyone. Aunt May and Uncle Ben had been swept away by the fleeing crowd but Peter had felt invincible in his Iron Man costume. Tony had saved his life _(“Nice work, kid!”) _. That day was imprinted indefinitely in his memory._____ _

______A knock at the door pulled Peter out of his thoughts.  
“Uh, come in?” The teenager called out while he sat up. Steve and Tony entered the room with a tray holding a stack of chocolate chip pancakes. The smell of them brought back memories of May and tears sprung to Peter’s eyes. Both of the adults in the room noticed immediately and walked forward to sit on the edge of the boy’s bed.  
“Steve made you pancakes, kid. How are you feeling?”  
Peter just shrugged his shoulders, “Thanks for the pancakes, Captain Rogers.”  
“Just Steve is fine. We need to talk to you about something.” Tony nodded for him to continue. “So, Ross’ trial is in 2 weeks and... well he’s going to win over the court.” Peter’s eyes widened. “Unless, you make a statement in court. You don’t have to and we are not going to judge you if you say no bu-”  
“No, I have to. He can’t keep hurting people. He hurt me… because he wanted answers. He wants to create a group, like the avengers, but I think… I think he wants to use mind control. He wanted to know how I got my powers so he could replicate them.”  
“Did you tell him?” Tony asked.  
“No. I knew what he could do with that information and I can’t let that happen.”  
“And all your injuries, that was him?” Peter nodded stiffly.  
“They would have healed but my healing factor was too busy keeping me alive without food…” Tony and Steve could tell that the teen was shutting down. Tony pressed the tray of pancakes into the young superhero’s lap. Peter smiled and started eating them._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______“You probably noticed we didn’t mention anything about you when we went over house arrest with the team. The United Nations are still deciding but I think you making a statement about Ross will help your case so I doubt you’ll have to be on house arrest.” Tony assured him.  
Peter nodded and kept eating his breakfast. The teen’s eyes looked distant as if his mind was elsewhere. Tony and Steve caught each other’s eye and exchanged a worried look.  
“Did, uh, did May already have a funeral?” Peter mumbled.  
“Yeah, kid, she did. A week and a half ago.” Steve said and put a hand on the youngest hero’s knee.  
“Was she buried?” Peter kept his head down, not wanting his emotions to show.  
“She was. She’s next to your uncle.” The super soldier’s words made Peter smile. That’s what May would have wanted.  
“Helen wants to see you after you have finished your breakfast. Just a check up and to remove some of those bandages, I think. Nothing to worry about.” Tony informed the young mutant. Peter nodded but kept his eyes on his food. _ _ _ _ _ _

______They sat in silence while Peter finished his meal. The billionaire in the room went and pulled out some clothes out of Peter’s drawers whilst the other adult in the room left to go get Peter’s wheelchair which had been left in the avenger’s common room because of last night’s fiasco._ _ _ _ _ _

______After Peter was fed and dressed, the trio headed down to the medbay.  
“Hi, Doctor Cho.”  
“Oh, hi, Peter. How was your night?”  
“Good, thanks.”  
Helen smiled at the teen and got to work checking Peter’s vitals.  
“You’re improving rapidly. Clearly the reintroduction of aliment has done the job. You should keep the wheelchair on hand but work on strengthening your legs. No excessive exercise. I’m going to give you a meal plan so you aren’t eating too much, too soon. I’ll remove all the bandages that can be removed now and then in the next few days, if your healing factor is speeding up at the rate I think it is, I should be able to remove the rest.” Helen spent the next 20 minutes removing bandages and cleaning up the areas that had been covered. Peter noticed that the bruises that had been littering his skin had healed but in some places there were ugly scars. He wondered if they would ever heal. He still had a scar on his head from before he got his powers when he had fallen at the park. The teen hadn’t had his healing powers then and that had never disappeared so that was reason enough to be worried that these scars would be permanently disfiguring his body. The spots on his body that Ross had branded had stop blistering but that just made the words more clear. Tony, upon seeing the brands, instantly thought about laser removal surgery. He would have to do more research later. The Stark could tell seeing the brands was making the spiderling very uncomfortable so he decided not to ask Helen about it in front of him. Helen seemed to notice the boy’s tentativeness too as she hurried to finish up and let Peter put his hoodie back on. _ _ _ _ _ _

______After Helen was finished, Peter told Tony he wanted to just chill out in his room for a bit so Steve wheeled him to his room and left him to himself.  
“Come to the common room in time for lunch” Tony called after the retreating pair._ _ _ _ _ _

______\------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Wanda had a plan. She had been chatting with Natasha and had found out about what she had told Tony the previous night. She wanted to find a way to cheer Peter up. After some thinking, she remembered that Peter had not gotten to enjoy his 15th birthday and a party could be just the thing everyone needed. To let loose and spend time with friends. Once F.R.I.D.A.Y had assured her that Peter was in his room and seemed to have no intention of leaving it, she had rounded up Vision, Scott, Tony, Sam, Clint and Natasha to help her set up._ _ _ _ _ _

______Clint and Natasha went into the store cupboards to dig out party decorations while Wanda found Funfetti cake mix in the pantry. Sam blew up balloons and cooked some cheeseburgers. Tony, being one of the few who could, went out to buy a list of things. Scott’s job was to keep Peter out of the common room. After Tony returned and Wanda had finished icing the cake, the pair wrapped up a few things. Steve and Rhodes came down to help with a few final details._ _ _ _ _ _

______Everyone found a spot to hide and F.R.I.D.A.Y called Peter down for lunch._ _ _ _ _ _

______\---------------------------------------_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______“Peter, lunch is ready in the common room.”  
“Okay.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Peter found his way to the room, taking his wheelchair to help him stay upright, and as he got close his spider-sense began to hum softly and he could hear Tony whispering at someone to shut up. His spider-senses weren’t warning him of something dangerous. It was strange. He couldn’t quite figure out what they were trying to tell him. Normally, it was a simple instruction (duck, run, dodge right, jump etc.) but this was more of a notice to be alert. The teen turned the corner and entered the common room._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Surprise!”  
“Happy belated birthday!”  
The sudden eruption of noise stunned Peter and he found himself on the ceiling. Steve looked worried but Natasha grinned at the sight and seconds later Peter found himself smiling too. He flipped down, landing effortlessly.  
“You guys didn’t have to do all this.” Peter said, blushing and gesturing at the room covered in balloons and banners. There was a big table with a cake that said ‘Happy 15th Birthday, Peter!!!’. The cake was surrounded by beautifully wrapped presents. On the kitchen island, there was a ton of burgers.  
“We thought you deserved to properly celebrate your 15th birthday.” Clint said.  
“It was all Wanda’s idea.” Vision spoke up.  
It was now Wanda’s turn to blush. “They all did most of the work! I just made the cake and wrapped a few presents.”  
“Well, Дякую, Wanda. Thanks to all of you.” Peter affirmed.  
“C’mon, let’s get this party started!” Tony told F.R.I.D.A.Y to start the music._ _ _ _ _ _

______\-------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _ _ _

______After a few hours of snacking on burgers, dancing and catching up, Sam spoke up:  
“Hey, Pete, why don’t you open your presents and then we can eat some cake?”  
“Sure, I don’t mind.” Peter walked over to the table holding the gifts and confectionary. Only Natasha noticed Clint sneak out of the room._ _ _ _ _ _

______Steve stepped forward with a wrapped box and passed it to Peter who flopped down onto an armchair and tore the wrapping away carefully. Inside the box was a set of paints and a canvas.  
“I like to paint, you see. It calms me down and I thought maybe I could teach you and it might be something you find stress relieving too.” Steve explained.  
“Thank you so much. I would love to learn how to paint from you.”  
Tony gave Peter some more of those nerdy t-shirts he was always wearing. Natasha gave him some books that she had enjoyed when she was his age. Scott handed over a set of Star Wars figurines and Wanda passed him an English to Ukrainian dictionary. Sam smiled and placed a chemistry set in front of the teen. _ _ _ _ _ _

______Clint re-entered the room with a medium sized box with holes in the top. The lid lifted a bit and a white paw stuck out the top. Peter gasped. Clint saw what Peter had spotted and pressed the box gently into Peter’s lap. The teenage superhero lifted the lid and was met with a pair of big yellow eyes.  
“Oh my god.” Peter exclaimed and carefully lifted the small kitten out of the box.  
“I was talking to an SI employee and she said her cat’s kittens were old enough to be adopted and looking for loving homes. I know you’ll take good care of him and we’re all here to help as well.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______The kitten’s fur was a mixture of browns and gingers but his stomach, paws and the end of his tail was white.  
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh my god, he’s so cute. I love him already. I’m going to call him… Bean.” Peter cuddled the bundle of goodness into his chest. Vision and Rhodes brought forth their presents which contained everything Peter would need to take care of Bean. _ _ _ _ _ _

__________All the avengers couldn’t help but feel their hearts warm at the site of the pure love Peter was radiating.  
“He’ll have to stay in your room for a bit but then we can introduce him to the rest of this floor.” Rhodes informed him.  
Peter looked up from Bean to nod at Rhodes and from the look on his face of undeniable joy, Wanda knew that she had made the right decision assembling the avengers for this party despite her doubts that it would in some way or another upset Peter. Bean would be good for Peter, she knew that, she could already see it. _ _

______After indulging on some cake, the group began to disperse as Peter went and took Bean up to his room and got him settled. Everyone went to sleep that night and slept soundly. Steve fell asleep in Tony’s bed. Peter slept with Bean in the crook of his arm. Clint was fast asleep in the vents._ _ _ _ _ _

______Everyone was content and that was enough._ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, happy birthday Damoo <3
> 
> stay home, stay healthy, stay safe. love you all and thanks for reading <3


	17. We’ve got your back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, lovely readers, sorry for the wait but here is chapter 17. I'm pretty proud of this one. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy <3

Over the next few weeks, Peter had the rest of his bandages removed and was back to eating a normal amount of food. He had spent time in the lab with Tony and remade his webshooters. Bean had settled in nicely and was hardly ever more than 10 feet from Peter. He didn’t even mind resting on Peter’s stomach when the young hero made a hammock out of webs high up in his room. Peter was struggling with nightmares, but Tony and Steve were always there to comfort him. Scott had decided to house arrest at his house so he would be closer to his daughter. Clint had stayed and had arranged for his wife and kids to come see him every two weeks. He, unlike Scott, was used to being away from his family and wanted to stay while the avengers reconciled. Before Scott had been transported home and Rhodes had to leave on military business, the avengers plus Peter had all sat down and talked everything through. Some had left after to have more intimate conversations that didn’t need to be heard by everyone. Afterwards, everyone felt lighter- like a burden had been lifted off their shoulders. 

Sometimes, Peter would still shut himself away in his room. Tony would sit outside the room with Steve and listen to him cry. They would try to go in the room but Peter would lock the door so they knew they weren’t welcome. When he would eventually open the door, he would act like he was fine. He would wash his face before coming out to mask his pain but his smile would never meet his eyes. He missed his Aunt May and Tony was trying to help but there was only so much he could do. So Tony called on his fellow avengers to help him get Peter to share some of his emotions.

\------------------------------------------

First, Clint was asked to talk to the teenager. Barton had become very protective over the Spider-Child since having to give him CPR.  
“F.R.I.D.A.Y, where is Peter?”  
“He’s on the roof terrace, Legolas.”  
“Ugh, Fri, please call me Clint. Please.”  
“I’m afraid Boss has not given you permission to change what I call you by.” F.R.I.D.A.Y stated matter-of-factly. Clint groaned.  
“Take me to the roof, please.” Clint said as he entered the elevator. 

The roof terrace is beautiful. Most of the roof is empty but there is a designated smoking area for SI employees. On the other side of the roof, closed off by a tall bamboo fence, there is a space filled with luscious plants and a bench overlooking Manhattan. Vintage filament bulbs hang around spreading a warm glow over the space. On the bench is where Clint finds Peter. A tear is running down his cheek.  
“Hey, kid, are you okay?” Clint asked, gently.  
Peter brushed away the tear abruptly, “Uh, sorry, I didn’t see you there. Yeah, I’m fine.”  
Clint thought for a moment and then spoke up, “You know what my dad used to say to me when I told him I was fine when I very clearly wasn’t? That fine stands for fucked up, insecure, nervous and emotional.”  
Peter laughed a little, “Then I’m not fine. I’m… content.”  
“Sure, kid.” Clint said and sat down next to Peter. They sat in silence for a bit, staring out at the sunset, watching the hustle and bustle of the city below.  
Clint looked over and caught Peter’s wandering eyes, “What’s going on in that big brain of yours, kid?” Peter just shrugged. The brown-haired boy rested his head on Clint’s shoulder, his eyelids drooping. “Oh, kiddo, you gotta talk to us, y’know. You can’t keep all this shit bottled up. We’re all here for you.”  
“Mhm.” The spider-teen mumbled, “Whatever you say.” The next thing Clint heard was light snoring. Clint chuckled and they stayed like that until Peter woke up, (Clint had been warned not to pick Peter up in his sleep). 

“I’m sorry that I don’t know how to talk about my emotions.” Peter muttered but sincerely.  
“That’s okay, kid, we’ll help you. Y’know Wilson? He helps soldiers who have come back from war talk about _their_ emotions. Maybe he can help you.”

“I’d like that.” 

\----------------------------------------

Wanda was sitting in her room watching old Disney movies when Peter’s shaking form appeared in her doorway.  
“Oh, Pete, come here.” Wanda opened up her arms and Peter tumbled into her embrace, sobbing hard. The young woman rubbed circles into the spider-themed teen’s back.  
“I..I just m-miss her so m-much” He bawled.  
“I know, I know. Just get it all out, Petey.” Wanda comforted him as he cried and cried and cried.

Soon Sam was there too.  
“Hey, kid. Talk to me. What are you thinking?” He said as Peter’s sobs died out.  
“W-When we were in th-the raft, the only thing I… one of the only things I thought about was coming h-home to May. I… I didn’t even get to say goodbye to her. She was my only family left. I know I have you guys, and Mr Stark and Captain Rogers but… May’d always been there for me and… I just don’t know how to… how to even function without her.” Peter held his head in his hands.  
Wilson put his hand on Peter’s shouder, “We’re here to help you. We’re all here for you to cry on and talk to. I know that doesn’t fix everything. I know that you miss her. I know that it doesn’t feel like the hurt will pass but, Peter, it will. You will get through this. You’ll get through it and you’ll be okay. We love you, kid. We goddamn love you.”  
“Th-Thank you.” Peter hugged Sam, tight.  
“You can come talk to me whenever you need, alright, spider-baby?”  
“’M not a baby.”  
“Whatever you say, spider-baby.” Wanda chuckled. Peter shoved her playfully. Wanda used her powers to float Peter off the bed and onto the floor.  
“Hey!” Peter laughed and pulled his new webshooters out of his pocket and fired them at Wanda, sticking her right hand to her bed’s headboard. The teen ran from the room. Wanda ripped the webs away with her other hand and chased him. They ran all over the floor before they collapsed, giggling, on the couch. Sam shook his head at the pair, but a smile graced his features. Peter’s eyes were still red and puffy, but they didn’t hold the pained expression that they had just 20 minutes earlier. Wanda put her arm round his shoulders, and he beamed up at her. 

Bean scampered into the room and planted himself on Peter’s stomach, purring softly. Peter wrapped his arms protectively around the small kitten and whispered his affection into Bean’s relaxed ears. Parker lifted Bean carefully and trudged off to his room. He was emotionally exhausted, but he felt relieved after letting Wanda and Sam past his walls and given them a glimpse into his pain. Once he was in his room, had laid Bean in his fluffy blanket of a bed and gotten into his pyjamas, Tony arrived to say goodnight to Peter.

“Hi, Mr Stark.”  
“Hey, Pete. How many times do I have to ask you to call me Tony?”  
Peter thought about it for a second, “At least a thousand times.”  
Tony groaned jokingly, “Steve wanted to know if you wanted to do some art with him and Natasha tomorrow.”  
“That would be cool.” Peter nodded his head.  
“Alright then. You get some sleep then and remember I’m just down the hall if you need me.”  
“Goodnight, Mr Stark. Love you…” Peter realised what he was saying too late. Tony had heard.  
“Night, kid. Love you too.” Tony left the room before he could see Peter’s mixture of confusion, embarrassment and happiness.

The older genius, grinning from ear to ear and eyes glistening with happy tears, spoke to F.R.I.D.A.Y as he entered the hall.  
“Fri, save that footage to the ‘Put it on the fridge’ file, please.”  
“Already done, Boss.”  
“Atta girl.” 

\--------------------------------------------

The next day, after breakfast, Peter made his way towards Steve’s art studio.

It was a relatively small room. The walls were covered in cabinets full of art supplies. A high table with backless bar stools was in the centre of the room. There were many sketches around the room of some of the avengers and paintings of NYC amongst other things. They all had one thing in common, they were amazingly detailed.  
“Wow.” Peter said when he opened the door to the room. Steve and Natasha were sat opposite each other. Natasha had a notebook open and had a set of pencils and a charcoal art set laid out in front of her. She was staring blankly at the page of her book, seemingly searching her mind for inspiration. Steve had brought Peter’s art kit down and spread its contents across one half of the table. 

“Hey, Pete, come sit here.” Steve smiled brightly and patted the seat next to him. The teen hopped up onto the stool and as Natasha looked up at the pair her eyes seemed to brighten, and she picked up her pencil and began sketching something.

“So, what do you know about oil paints?” The blonde man asked.  
“Uh, only some stuff from watching Bob Ross.” Peter replied.  
“Okay, well, you can tell me what you know, I’ll fill in the gaps, and then we can start painting something. Sound good?” Peter nodded. “Great, let’s get aprons ‘cause I don’t fancy spending ages getting paint out of our clothes after this.” 

After Steve had helped tie up the strings on Peter’s vermillion apron, they retook their seats and, once the super soldier had gotten the timid teen up to speed, had started to talk about what they wanted to paint. 

“How do you normally pick what you’re going to paint?” Peter questioned Steve.  
“Erm… I like to paint the things and people I love. Sometimes, I listen to music and paint how it makes me feel. That probably doesn’t make sense.”  
“I think I get what you mean.” 

At that moment, Bean strolled in the room, searching for Peter. When the kitten spotted the familiar face he ran up and rubbed his body against Peter’s legs. The young mutant scooped up his bundle of joy and kissed his head. A look of realisation dawned on his face.  
“Can I paint Bean?”  
“Sure, kid. Take a picture of him and we’ll use that. I doubt he’ll stay in one pose for long enough to paint him.” Steve chuckled, reaching over to stroke the kitten’s thick fur. 

After taking a picture of the feline, Steve showed Peter some of the more specific techniques that could come in handy for painting Bean. After an hour and a half, the pair had finished the basic outline of Beans body and added some colour. When Peter’s wrist began tiring Steve had recommended that they leave it at that for today and continue in the near future. When they were packing up, Tony entered the room to ask what they wanted for dinner.  
Peter had spoken up, “I don’t mind what we have, Mr Stark. Ms Romanoff?” Natasha looked up at him, “Can I see what you were working on?”  
Natasha nodded and turned her notebook around. 

It turned out Natasha had not looked far for her inspiration. She had drawn what was right in front of her. Her drawing depicted Steve guiding Peter’s hand with his on the canvas in front of them. The Peter in the artwork had his tongue peeking out of mouth as he focused on the canvas and the Steve was smiling at his concentration.  
Upon seeing it, Tony had announced, “I want that framed and, on my floor,, please.”  
Natasha had agreed to give it to him.  
“You’re really talented, Ms Romanoff.” Peter commented.  
“Thanks, kid. You’re officially allowed to call me Nat.”  
The kid thought about it for a minute before saying, “I’m honoured, Nat.” Tony’s mouth fell open.  
“What?! You can’t call her ‘Nat’ and me ‘Mr Stark’! One, I’ve known you longer and, two, it makes me feel old!”  
“Well, Mr Stark, you’re not exactly young.” Peter said, truthfully. Natasha snorted and Mr Stark mocked being upset.  
Holding his hand to his chest dramatically, he said “At least I’m not 98!”  
“Hey!” Steve said.  
The group laughed.

“Okay, I think us four should go out somewhere nice to eat. I’ll call ahead and make sure we aren’t going to be bothered by anyone. We need to talk about a few things and we also need to eat so let’s hit two birds with one stone.” Tony said, becoming serious. 

\------------------------------------------

An hour later, the 4 were sat around in a cleared out Italian restaurant in downtown Manhattan. While they waited for food, Peter decided to ask one of the questions that had been weighing on his mind.

“Am I gonna be able to go back to school?”  
Natasha nodded. “Short answer is yes and soon. Long answer is, the government are trying to cover all this up. For pretty obvious reasons, they don’t want people knowing they put a child in prison. We’ll tell the school, you were on a stark industries retreat and they have been told about your aunt so they’ll figure that’s why you have been gone so long. The UN haven’t released your identity to the public for the same reasons but have said that if the media finds out there’s nothing they can do.”

Peter nodded, “When can I go out as Spider-Man again?”  
Tony answered this time, “As soon as your back to full health and Helen gives us the all clear.” 

With his questions answered, Peter was able to enjoy his dinner with his mind at peace. 

\-------------------------------------------

The next day, Peter had new-found motivation to work on his super-suit, so he and Tony went into the lab with Steve coming to keep them company. 

“Oh, Peter, I forgot to mention it earlier but Helen said you’re allowed to start working out in the avengers gym now. Natasha wants to spar with you and work with you on your combat skills.” Steve remembered.  
“That sounds cool.” Peter said, not looking up from his work.  
“Also, Helen said you can start going out as Spider-Man as soon as you want to.” That got his full attention.  
“Oh my god, really? Can I go out today?”  
“Slow down, tiger. Are you sure you’re ready for that?” Tony asked, gently.  
Peter nodded, “Please, Mr Stark?” The kid had unleashed his greatest weapon. His puppy dog eyes. How could Tony say no to that face.  
“Fine, you can out for two hours but you have to be careful, okay, and if I call you have to pick up within 5 seconds, you got that?”  
“But I don’t have currently have a phone.” Peter tilted his head, quizzically.  
“Oh right, I’ll sort that out now. I’ve put an AI in your suit, anyway.” Peter’s mouth fell open.  
“Like, my own F.R.I.D.A.Y?”  
“Yep, exactly. I’m pretty sure I have you’re old phone someone but you’ll probably want an upgrade. That things like, historic.” Stark said as he passed Peter the latest Starkphone.  
“Mr Stark, these are so expensive. I can’t ha-“  
“Uh uh uh. You can, and you will.” The older man pressed the phone into Peter’s palm.  
Peter agreed to the philanthropist’s terms and ran off to get into his suit. 

He returned, decked in his red and blue spandex, he radiated with pure joy at the prospect of swinging through the bustling streets of New York.  
“Alright, kiddo, stay safe, okay?” Steve said. Peter nodded and gave Mr Stark a quick hug before promptly flipping out of the open window.

When his face was mere inches from the floor, he shot out a web and pulled himself upwards. For the first time in months, Peter felt completely free. Shooting through the crisp, early evening air, he had no fear. He launched himself forward, towards sounds of violence.

 _“Hey! Spidey’s back!” someone shouted._

Peter grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all staying safe. Have you drunk enough water today? I hope you have. Anyway, leave me a comment they make me so happy and give me the motivation to write the next chapter.


	18. The bravest kid I know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy sorry for the wait! Hope you're all doing well. 
> 
> On my update chapter i deleted, i answered a question but its been deleted so just in case you missed my reply, Emmmmie: "Hey! So fingernails are funny things and take like a stupidly long time to grow, so they are growing back but they’re not fully back yet"
> 
> Anyway, Enjoy <3

It was the day of the trial and Peter had not slept a wink. 

He had spent the night thinking about everything that could go wrong. Now it was time to get ready and the teens heart was racing. Tony had hung up a smart grey suit the night before. Peter was fumbling with the tie when Steve knocked at the door. 

“Hey, Pete, you okay?”  
“Uh, can you help me with my tie?” Peter asked, sheepishly.   
“Of course.” Steve opened the door and ties the fabric before pulling the boy into a tight hug. “Everything’s going to work out just fine. That bastard’s going to jail.”  
“Language.” Peter giggled.   
“God, not you too.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a quick breakfast, during which everyone ate very little, everyone gathered on the sofas. 

Wanda stood up, lowered herself to be level with the teenage superhero, took his head in her hands and said, “Будь сильним, дитячий павук”   
Steve, Wanda and Clint would not be able to come to the trial, but Sam was permitted so he could make a statement.   
“Я спробую бути.” Peter said, but there were tears in his eyes. “I just wish you could be there with me.”   
“I know, bub. I wish I could be there too. Tony will keep us updated, okay?”   
Peter nodded and Wanda kissed his forehead.

Clint pulled Peter into his side. “You got this kiddo. You just flash ‘em those puppy dog eyes, and you’ll be fine. I promise.”   
Peter smiled slightly. “Thanks, Clint.” Barton smiled tightly back and nodded his head firmly. 

“We gotta go, Pete.” Tony called to him from the elevator. After one last hug from Steve: Peter, Natasha, Sam and Tony bundled into the lift and began their journey. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The car pulled up outside the courthouse and Peter felt his heart stutter. Everyone bar Tony and Peter got out of the vehicle. The teen turned to Tony with wide eyes.  
“I don’t know if I can do this, Mr Stark.”  
“I do. I _know _you can because you’re the bravest kid I know. You have a heart of gold and if they can’t see that, they’re blind. Ross may well have paid for the judge’s bias but there’ll be loads of world leaders in there, so, convince them and he’ll get what he deserves.”  
“Okay. Okay, I got this. I got this.”  
“Damn right you do, kiddo. C’mon, let’s get in there and kick some ass.”   
Peter took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Natasha guided him towards the courtroom by his shoulders. __

__The courtroom was bigger than all the ones Peter had seen in movies and tv shows. The room was a circular. Straight across from the entrance, the judge sat. On her left side was the jury, which was made up of lots of a few world leaders, including the king of Wakanda. T’Challa nodded at Tony who returned the gesture. On the other side of the judge, there was a witness stand and a table for the court clerk to sit at. A few metres opposite the judge’s seat, there was a podium. Behind the podium was two tables. The rest of the room was covered with seats for the rest of the world leaders who weren’t selected to be part of the jury._ _

__Tony led Peter to the table behind the podium that was closest to the jury. One of Peter’s lawyers were already sat at the table. She was a black woman with kind eyes and bright smile. They had been introduced the week earlier.  
“Hi, Ms Freer. How are you?”   
“I’m feeling confident, you?” As she asked, Ross entered the room and was escorted to the other table by a bailiff. Peter’s breath hitched. Natasha saw what was happening and swooped in front of Peter, blocking Ross from his sight.   
“Hey, Peter, look at me. He can’t hurt you, okay? He can’t even try because: One, he’d go straight to prison and two, he wouldn’t make it a metre without me, Tony, and Sam taking him down.” She squeezed his hand, “I gotta find my seat but we’re all right behind you, Маленький паук.”   
Peter steeled himself, “Thank you, Nat.” She patted him on the shoulder and went to sit by Tony. The teen sat by Ms Freer.   
“Okay, Parker. Remember what we discussed. The only thing you’ve got to worry about is some people here will have a bias against you because you’re enhanced. Show them that you’re not that different from them.”_ _

__Suddenly, the bailiff walked into the centre of the well and said, “Order in the court. All rise. This court is now in session. Her Honour Judge Babbage presiding.”  
Judge Babbage announced, “You may be seated. Are all parties present?”  
Ms Freer stood again and replied, “Yes, Your Honour. The case of Peter Parker versus Thaddeus Ross. I am Carol Freer and I am Mr Parker’s attorney.”  
Ross’ lawyer stood, “I am Robert Grout and Mr Ross’ attorney.”  
The court clerk stated, “Thaddeus Ross you are being charged with mistreatment of prisoners, including and in particular Peter Parker. How do you plead?”  
“Not guilty.” Ross said. The sound of his voice made Peter flinch. _ _

__Judge Babbage turned towards Ms Freer, “Please proceed with your case.”_ _

__Carol stood up and walked in front of the jury box.  
“Your Honour, we intend to prove that Ross knowingly abused his power by depriving Mr Parker of his innate rights. In order to prove our case, we will call on witness Sam Wilson.”   
Next Mr Grout was called to make his opening statement.   
“Your Honour, I, the defendant, will prove to you that Mr Ross did not commit any crimes while he was supervising at the RAFT prison.”_ _

__The clerk said, “First, we call Mr Ross to the stand for direct examination by the prosecution.” Ross walked towards the judge and stood in the witness stand. Once Ross was sworn in, Freer stepped forward to question him. Peter kept his eyes trained on the table. He didn’t want to have to make eye contact with the monster making his statement._ _

__“Mr Ross, was Peter Parker under your care, whilst in the RAFT prison?”  
“Yes, me and the guards on his floor.”  
“Did you at any point knowingly injure or instruct someone to injure Mr Parker?”  
“No, I did not.”   
“Did you or did you not deprive Mr Parker of food?”   
“No, he was given 3 meals a day.”  
“Did you attempt to end Mr Parker’s life?”  
“No.”   
“No further questions. Your Honour, I would like to provide evidence showing Mr Ross is not telling the truth and did indeed violate Mr Parker’s human rights.”  
Before the judge could respond, Ross cut in, “Peter Parker isn’t human.”  
Peters head snapped up; eyes wide. _Could Ross get away with it all just because Peter was enhanced?_   
Ms Freer said, “Mr Parker was born a human being and so, as a 15-year-old, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child outlines his rights. As per Article 3, his best interests must be a primary consideration in this case.”  
The judge nodded and said, “Please present your evidence Ms Freer.”  
A television was rolled into the room and connected to Carol’s laptop. She walked over and pulled up footage from inside the Iron Man mask. It was from the day Tony and Steve had come to save Peter from the raft. The room saw as on the video, Tony burst into a room to see Ross holding a semi-automatic pistol to Peter’s forehead. Present time Peter watched himself plead with Tony not to kill Ross. The teen realised he didn’t regret doing that now though he wondered whether he’d regret it if Ross was declared not guilty. _ _

__Carol paused the video, “As you can see, Thaddeus Ross was going to kill Peter Parker, had Mr Stark and Mr Rogers not stepped in. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognise Peters right to life as per Article 6. Also from this video, and these pictures,” The screen was now covered in pictures of Peters various injuries, varying from bruises, to broken bones, to gushing wounds. Peter once again looked away. “We can see that Mr Parker was severely maimed during his time at the RAFT. As per article 37, Peter should not have been subjected to this harsh treatment and he also should not have been imprisoned for life. Lastly, he should have been able to contact his family. From these sources, we can also see that Peter is severely malnourished. At this time we would like to call Sam Wilson to the stand.”_ _

__The Judge nodded. Ross left the stand and Sam took his place. He was swore in by the clerk and then Ms Freer began questioning him.  
“Mr Wilson, you were imprisoned in the RAFT at the same time as Mr Parker and were in contact with him throughout, correct?.”   
“Yes.”  
“Did you witness Mr Parker being given food?”  
“Once every two weeks or so. Ms Maximoff, Mr Barton, Mr Lang and I tried to go on hunger strike to get them to give him food but they refused to feed him even then.”  
“Did you see Thaddeus Ross hurt Mr Parker?”  
“No, but he was dragged out by the guards and came back closer to death every day. He told us it was Ross who was doing it. Hurting him in exchange for information.”   
“No further questions.” _ _

__Ross’ lawyer stood, “The defendant would like to call the plaintiff, Peter Parker, to the stand.” The judge nodded.  
Peter took a deep breath and walked towards the witness stand. He knew that his attorney had already won over most of the jury but his hands were shaking uncontrollably and, if he was being honest, he wanted to cry. One wrong word and he could mess everything up. _ _

__The court clerk approached him, “Do you solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that the evidence you shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”  
“I do.” Peter nodded._ _

__The court clerk backed off and Mr Grout took his place. Grout was a severe-looking tall man with dark hair and eyes.  
“Mr Parker, was it Mr Ross or the guards who caused you those injuries?”  
“Well, um, most of it was Mr Ross b-but the guards were rough too.” Peter stumbled over his words.  
“How did Mr Ross injure you?”  
“Um, he did loads of stuff. He, um, removed my nails.” Peter lifted his hand for the judge to see. “He also waterboarded me and he overloaded my senses. Uh, he stabbed me a couple times and broke some of my bones. H-He, um, burnt some words onto me.” The mutant teen rolled up his shirt sleeve to show the word ‘FREAK’ burnt onto his arm and the screen next to him showed the brand on his chest that said ‘Property of the RAFT’ “and he told the guards not to feed me. Oh, and, on my birthday he got the guards to put what looked like a cake in my cell but it was actually, like, broken glass and boiling acid.”  
“How can you prove it was Ross who was hurting you and not the guards?”  
“Um, I…”Peter looked out into the audience for reassurance and amongst the sea of faces, he made out Tony who gave him a thumbs up and a supportive nod. “R-Ross wanted information from me. He wanted to know how I got my powers. He told me he’s trying to make his own avengers b-but, I think he wants to use something like what HYDRA used on Buck Barnes,” There was audible sounds of outrage and disgust at this, “Y’know like a superhero group completely under his control. I didn’t tell him anything, so he hurt me.”  
“No further questions.” _ _

__Peter walked back towards Ms Freer.  
“You did great, Peter. We’ve got this in the bag.”  
On the other side of the courtroom, Ross was not as happy.  
“What are you doing? The jury is totally on their side.”  
“I’ll talk to the judge.”_ _

__Mr Grout stood, “May I approach the bench?”  
The Court Clerk approved, and the lean man stalked over to the judge.   
“My client is paying you good money; you need to do something.” He whispered, angrily.  
“I’ll try but it’s down to the jury in the end.”_ _

__What they didn’t realise, is Peter could hear everything they were saying.  
“Ms Freer, Ross has paid off the judge, I can hear what they’re saying.”   
“Don’t worry about it too much, we’ve got the jury on our side.” _ _

__After the defence and Ms Freer made their closing statements, the jury exited the room to vote on the final verdict._ _

__Peter closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. After what felt like hours to Peter, the jury returned and one of the jurors told the Judge their verdict. The young superhero saw the judge give Ross an almost sympathetic look._ _

__“The jury finds the Accused guilty of all charges as well as lying under oath.. Thaddeus Ross is sentenced to life with parole in Wakanda’s Bashenga prison. Court is adjourned”_ _

__Peter sighed in relief. He looked over as Ross was escorted from the room. The man gave Peter a threatening glare and Peter recoiled ever so slightly. Tony came rushing towards Peter and pulled him into a tight hug. The moment Tony let go, Natasha put her arm around his shoulders and ruffled his hair._ _

__“Can we just go straight home, Mr Stark?” Peter asked, unleashing the puppy dog eyes.  
“Of course, I just want to have a quick word with King T’Challa.”_ _

__They caught up to T’Challa who was just about to step out the doors.  
“Hello, Mr Stark. Congratulations on winning the trial, Mr Parker.” T’Challa said.  
“Thank you.” Peter said, awkwardly.   
“I was wondering if you’d like to come back to the tower for a catch up, seeing as your in town.” Tony suggested.   
“That does sound nice. My sister came here with me, she’s waiting outside. Can she come too?” Tony nodded and the group left the building. _ _

__Peter followed Natasha straight to the car while Stark and the king of Wakanda found his sister. The spy sat next to the smaller hero and he cuddled into her slightly. After 10 minutes, Tony and the two Wakandan royals climbed into the car  
“Hi, I’m Shuri.”  
“Nice to meet you. My name’s Peter.” _ _

__They rode in silence for a while and Peter was almost asleep when the car came to a halt.  
Happy Hogan groaned and growled, “Road work ahead.”_ _

__At the same time, both Shuri and Peter sat up and said in sync, “Uh, yeah I sure hope it does!”  
They turned to look each other at the same time before their faces split into huge mischievous grins. Everyone else in the vehicle was very confused. _ _

__Shuri raised her arms and formed her hands into a gun shape. “I saw you hanging out with Caitlyn yesterday.”  
“R-Rebecca, it’s not want you think-“  
“I won’t hesitate, bitch.” Shuri interrupted and then pretended to shoot Peter.   
Tony, Natasha and T’Challa looked at the two youngsters like they were insane but couldn’t help but join in their laughter. They chatted the whole way home about everything from science to their daily lives._ _

__When they stepped out of the elevator, everyone who hadn’t come to the trial were gathered by the door. Wanda rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the spider-kid._ _

__“Take your time, Wands, it’s not like we’ve all been waiting to see him too.” Clint joked. Wanda flipped him off but she smiled so it was clear she had taken no offence. After Peter got a quick hug from Barton, Steve opened his arms wide and he immediately had an armful of teenager.  
“Hey, kiddo. I’m so proud of you.” Peter beamed at the veteran’s words. Tony watched the interaction and felt his heart melt. _ _

__“Mr Stark, can I take Shuri to the lab?” Peter said, once again flashing his big brown eyes. Tony wondered if Peter even realised he was doing it.  
“Just don’t touch anything dangerous, bambi.” _ _

__Peter beckoned for the princess to follow him and the pair disappeared down the hall, giggling hysterically._ _

__\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__The Avengers all sat in the living room catching T’Challa up on their lives and vice versa._ _

__“Boss, there was a small explosion in the lab. Don’t worry, no one was hurt and there is no irreparable damage to anything.”  
Tony sighed. “I’ll go check on them.”   
“I’ll come too.” Steve and T’Challa said at the same time. _ _

__The lab was all in normal order except from some minor scorch marks on one of the work benches. When the trio stepped in the lab, Peter was sitting in a chair facing the back wall and Shuri was leant up against a cabinet. They were in deep conversation._ _

__“Um, excuse me. What happened here?” Tony cut in, pointing at the burnt countertop.  
whPeter spun around in his chair and said, “You do love working here, just we all have a lot of laughs.” He jumped out of his chair and as he walked past Shuri he shouted “Fuck off, Janet. I’m not coming to your fucking baby shower.”   
“Language.” Steve said, before his face drained of colour. “Shit.”   
Tony immediately forgot about what the teenagers had done. “He said it again! Fri, send to footage up to the group, right now!” _ _

__Sensing they most definitely weren’t in trouble for the explosion, Peter turned back to Shuri and asked, “Do you want to come meet my kitten?”  
Sam, who had appeared in the doorway, laughed and said, “King T’Challa here loves cats.” The man in question chuckled and shook his head. _ _

__Shuri nodded and the kids went off to find Bean._ _

__\---------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__The two teenagers found the feline in Peter’s bedroom._ _

__They climbed on the bed and ended up talking to each other for almost 3 hours before T’Challa came and told Shuri they had to leave if they were going to be up for an early flight back to Wakanda._ _

__“Here, take my number.” Peter said, writing it down on a sticky note. “I don’t know what the time difference is like but my sleep schedule is non-existent so text me or call me whenever.”  
Shuri laughed, “Same. I promise I’ll keep in touch.” _ _

__\------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__As Peter was settling down to sleep, Tony entered the room, “Hey, kiddo. Just coming to let you know we need to talk about something tomorrow. Nothing to worry about, so don’t stress. I also just wanted to say well done again, for today. Goodnight, bub.”_ _

__“Goodnight, Mr Stark. Love you.”_ _

__“I love you too, Pete.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment feedback or anything really. I love reading your comments and they basically fuel my writing!


	19. NOT A NEW CHAPTER just an update

Hey guys! i am so sorry i haven’t updated this story in so long. i haven’t had much inspiration and now i’m back to school and it’s gonna be a busy year. i will keep writing this story but chapters will be few and far between. hopefully i’ll get my act together soon and start updating regularly. 

sorry again,  
Anabelle <3


	20. NOT A NEW CHAPTER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys just another update

Hey!

I've started writing again!!! Hopefully i'll have a new chapter up soon and you'll like it.

Thanks for sticking with me,  
Anabelle <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks For Reading <3


End file.
